In this guide
- A consent platform shows the banner, records choices and sends them to Tag Manager as Consent Mode signals and events.
- You then add consent settings to tags and test accept, reject and partial.
- Follow the platform's own Tag Manager guide. Names and options change.
Axeptio is a consent management platform used widely in France and Europe. Like others, it handles the banner and the record, and relies on Tag Manager to make your tags obey. This page explains the general steps for connecting a platform like it to Tag Manager, using Axeptio as the example. Confirm exact settings and template names in Axeptio's documentation. For the principles see cookie banners, Consent Mode v2 and consent update events.
What the platform does
- Shows a banner and a preferences centre.
- Records each visitor's choices with date and version.
- Sets default and updated consent signals for Google (Consent Mode v2).
- Provides a list of vendors and cookies.
Watch events arrive, live
A sample feed. In Open Tracked you see the same stream for your own store.
What you do in Tag Manager
Install the platform's script or template
So it loads first, before other tags.
Set the default consent
Denied for regions that require opt-in.
Map categories to consent types
Analytics storage, ad storage, ad user data, ad personalisation.
Add consent settings to tags
In each tag, list the consent types it needs.
Check non-Google tags
Meta, TikTok and others need explicit consent checks. See consent in a server container.
Publish and test
In a private window.
Vendors and categories
Consent platforms group vendors into categories such as analytics, advertising and functional. Make sure each vendor you use is listed and assigned to the right category, and that tags follow it. A vendor missing from the list is a common source of tags firing without consent.
Brands that grow on cleaner data
Stores and agencies use Open Tracked to see which ads earn the sale.
Testing
- Reject all: check that analytics and advertising tags and cookies do not appear.
- Accept all: check that they do.
- Choose partial: analytics only, then advertising only.
- Change the choice later from the preferences link.
- Check the server Preview for the consent state.
Server-side
If you use a server container, consent must reach it and server tags must obey. With Open Tracked, the Enricher has consent switches and Cookie Keeper only restores what you allow. See GTM and GDPR.
Checks
A realistic example
A French online retailer installs a consent platform and believes it is compliant, because the banner is on every page. A routine test shows that its Meta and TikTok tags fire before the visitor chooses, because only the Google tags had consent settings. The team adds consent checks to the non-Google tags, makes sure every vendor is listed in the platform and tests accept, reject and partial choices again. It also adds the same check to its server container tags. The banner never changed. What changed was the wiring behind it, which is where most consent failures hide. The test took an hour and the fix a day, and it turned a decorative banner into a working control.
Connected in minutes
Add your domain, install the pixel, connect your ad platforms and watch the first events land.
Frequently asked questions
How do I connect a consent platform like Axeptio to Tag Manager?
Load it first, set defaults, map categories to consent types, add consent settings to tags and test accept, reject and partial.
Does Axeptio support Consent Mode v2?
Check Axeptio's documentation for its current Consent Mode support and Tag Manager template.
Do non-Google tags respect the banner automatically?
Not unless they have consent settings or triggers. Add them.
How do I test a consent banner?
In a private window with accept, reject and partial choices, watching tags and cookies.
Does the server container need consent too?
Yes. Server tags should obey the choice.
Do I need spreadsheets to read my results?
No. Once tracking is live, the Open Tracked analytics shows spend, revenue, ROAS and profit, and you can ask Ari, the built-in AI assistant, questions about your own numbers in plain words. Ari's allowance depends on your analytics plan.
Is Open Tracked different from Open Track or Open Space Track?
No. Open Tracked is the official name of our server-side tracking platform, and the website is opentracked.io. Many people search for it as Open Track, OpenTrack or Open Space Track. All of them lead to the same product: server-side Google Tag Manager hosting, first-party analytics and a CRM pipeline.
Fix your tracking at the source
Open Tracked hosts your server-side Tag Manager, keeps first-party cookies alive and shows what each ad is really worth.
The Open Tracked team
We build Open Tracked: server-side tracking hosting, analytics and the tools around them, for stores that spend on ads. Questions about this guide, or an idea for the next one?
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