The percentage of unassigned traffic can increase when it comes to consent solutions. Legal frameworks like GDPR require users to be opted out by default and only if they provide explicit consent to tools like Google Analytics, for example, is their data allowed to be collected/shared.
In the US as well, there is a significant rise in lawsuits due to non-compliance with CIPA as of recently, where Californians are required to be opted out by default of third party tracking technologies.
There is certainly a balancing act these days with wanting to capture as much visitor data as possible, while also adhering to privacy law requirements. The percentage of 'unassigned traffic', can increase due to these privacy restrictions.
There are, however, steps you can take to lower the % of unassigned traffic, and we outline several options you can consider below:
Before we share these steps, did you know there are privacy focused analytics alternatives out there? Check out usefathom.com, an analytics solution where consent isn't even required by website visitors!1. Easy step #1 - Remove the "x" or "Continue without accepting" banner option - you can remove the 'continue without accepting' bar. You could update the Cookie Policy and Consent Tool questionnaire (page 1) to remove this. Be sure to click 'submit' for changes to take effect.
2. Easy step #2 - convert to wall layout - The 'wall' layout gets the most interactions, therefore you should see an uptick in user consent. You can change the layout to "wall" on page 1 of the Cookie Policy and Consent TOol questionnaire. Be sure to click 'submit' for changes to take effect.
3. Advanced step - set up compatibility with Google's Consent Mode V2 - In response to the Digital Markets Act, Google has released "Consent Mode V2", which is their approach at ensuring consent tools properly can communicate with Google products, in particular Google Tag Manager. Our consent solution (powered by Usercentics) is a Google certified CMP and is available for you to set up compatibility with Google products.
- Assuming you are firing the Google Analytics 4 script through GTM, setting up compatibility with Consent Mode V2 tends to help lower the % of unassigned traffic
- By doing this, you can mark the "Google Tag Manager" Service as "Essential" and all third party scripts loading from GTM will only fire based on consent choices.
- After all is tested and working properly, you have completed Google's "Basic Version" of Consent Mode V2 compatibility. You could consider trying Google's "Advanced Version", where flip the GTM script in the <head> so that it loads before the Usercentrics script. Please note: Although this will massively help with the unassigned traffic, there are privacy concerns with Advanced mode, as Google acknowledges it collects IP addresses in this process without first getting consent.
4. Do you have a WordPress website? If yes, enable geolocation - After setting up compatibility with Consent Mode V2, assuming you are using the Termageddon plugin to install the consent solution, consider going into the site's backend -> "Tools" -> "Teramageddon + Usercentrics" -> "Geolocation". Enable geolocation and select to only display the consent tool to visitors from the EU, UK, Canada, California, and Virginia. Now, users outside of those areas won't see the consent tool, and with GTM being labeled as essential, this too should also help lower % of unassigned traffic.
Each of these steps should help improve the % of assigned traffic compared to unassigned traffic. If you have any issues or questions, please contact support.