For years, brands have used them to track website visitors, improve user experience, and gather data that helps us target ads to the right audience. They also help us understand what visitors look at online when they're not on a company's website.
But the way Google's cookies and ad tracking tools are used has changed dramatically with Google's efforts to phase out third-party cookies in browsers.
The phasing out of third-party cookies was initially announced in February 2020 , but Google accelerated the changes when it announced that it will not build “alternative identifiers to track people as they browse the web, nor will we use them in our products.”
[tweet ]TWEET IT! With the end of cookies, it's time for you to use new tools to get to know your customers.
The end of cookies affects companies
While numerous advertising agencies criticized pharmacies email list Google's decision, companies have begun to investigate the possible impact on marketing. In a survey, HubSpot found that:
41% of marketers believe their biggest challenge post-cookie ban will be their inability to track the right data.
44% of marketing experts expect to need to increase their spending by 5% to 25% to achieve the same goals as in 2021.
23% of marketers plan to invest in email marketing software due to Google's new policy.
First-party cookies vs. third-party cookies
If you think all your cookie-based marketing strategies will soon be obsolete, take a deep breath. Google has removed third-party cookies from its browsers for the time being. However, first-party cookies that track basic data about visitors to your own website are still safe.
A first-party cookie is a code that is generated and stored on your website visitor's computer by default when they visit your site. This cookie is often used for user experience, as it is responsible for remembering passwords, basic visitor data and other preferences.
With a first-party cookie, you can learn what a user did while visiting your website, see how often they visit , and get other basic analytics data that can help you develop or automate an effective marketing strategy around them. However, you can't see data related to your visitor's behavior on other websites that aren't affiliated with your domain.