By the end of 2023, Google will block 3rd-party cookies in its Chrome browser, putting an end to more than 20 years of targeting-based marketing. With 3rd-party cookies being phased out, a new challenge begins for business owners and marketers alike – how do you prepare for, and reckon with, a cookieless future? Let us take a quick look at how we can effectively plan and conduct marketing strategies in a cookieless world and the effect that saying goodbye to cookies is likely to have.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of code that help a website to store data. This includes data on your interest in a product, your age, and your language preferences, which facilitates servers to recognize what sort of online content should be delivered to you. Even though cookies are safe and are mainly used to display personalized ads to help you shop, a few cookies can be utilized to keep watch on your online activity. So, to stimulate the same faith of users in Google as they see in other search engines like Safari and Firefox, Google is planning to phase out 3rd-party cookies from its Chrome search browser.
What are 1st & 3rd-party cookies?
These are the ones used, stored, and owned by the websites you’ve visited. They are utilized to bring you tailored content. For instance, if you visit an e-commerce website and abandon your filled cart without completing the buying process, the e-commerce website will start displaying advertisements associated with the item you’ve got in the cart, according to the data. These 1st-party cookies won’t be blocked by Google.
These are also known as targeting cookies or tracking cookies. They are different from 1st-party cookies in that they are deployed by, and the data is kept by, websites, but not the one you have visited. They are used to target ads across websites, and are placed on websites by a 3rd party. 3rd-party cookies will be phased out in Google’s Chrome browser slowly but surely.
3rd-party cookies receive identical information to 1st-party cookies, but, in some cases, even more. 3rd-party cookies don’t track information so as to deliver an enhanced user experience, but instead provide ads.
They gather information including user behavior, language preferences, age, and gender. The likes and dislikes of users are recognized via this information, which helps in the process of digital marketing and targeting. 3rd-party cookies are gathered by means of ads and social media.
Suppose you visited eBay, searched for an item, acquired all the information you needed, and then left the website. Then, you browse a website that’s totally different from the earlier website and look at a totally different item, but, with the help of 3rd-party cookies on Google, eBay is capable of displaying their item through advertisement on this other website. This is a simple way to illustrate that advertising is the exclusive intention of 3rd-party cookies.
Advertisers benefit because of this. They get more data than 1st-party cookies provide, allowing them to more easily advertise, and, in turn, push the user to click on the advertisement.
To start with, we need to be aware of the reasons every search engine is phasing out and blocking 3rd-party cookies. There are several reasons, but the main is the sheer weight of confidentiality concerns nowadays. Now, people are highly alert to the fact that such cookies are utilizing their information for the purpose of ads and, at times, these advertisements aren’t even pertinent, which can be frustrating.
According to reports, 89% of respondents say they think data confidentiality is a right, not a privilege, and 93% of respondents are worried about the amount of data that companies can gather on them.
Another important reason is the increased usage of mobile devices for search purposes. Today, people make use of their mobile devices to browse through websites, but it is quite hard to monitor everything a user does through their phone, thus advertisers don’t receive complete data.
The increased use of mobile phones for browsing has transformed the circumstances of data management, making user permission and positive value exchange vital considerations for organizations. It also altered brands’ network with customers online, narrowing some of the most common tactics for digital marketing, such as retargeting. It’s also modified the way brands gauge performance, making the conversion path indistinct.
Now, the biggest impact of the removal of3rd-party cookies will, essentially, be on advertisers who utilize such data to display custom advertisements to users. Now, a big part of marketing known as ‘retargeting’ will transform. While Google and other search engines aren’t blocking all sorts of cookies, 3rd-party cookies are the key source of conversion for a lot of companies. With other cookies, website owners have to get permission from the user as to whether they permit monitoring of their data.
As we gradually approach the end of the 3rd-party cookies, now is a vital time to equip yourself with new marketing strategies. Part of this will be to rebuild trust and reliance amongst users, since 69% of users claim they have no idea where their information is being utilized. We can build trust amongst users by seeking their permission to deploy 1st-party cookies, so users feel comfortable and familiar with the way their data will be utilized.
So, as we’ve discussed, times are changing, but as always, one person’s problem is another’s opportunity. There is plenty of time to adjust to the transformations ahead of us, and to capitalize on the advantages of increased consumer trust that these changes are bound to generate. With our deep understanding of consumers and the data, technology and vendor landscape, The Loyal SEO (BERY Infotech) will be leading clients through this transition, helping businesses to optimize their current activity and introduce new systems and processes to elevate the customer experience.
