The impact of cookie banners on user experience
Cookie consent banners are an increasingly discussed element in the digital landscape. While necessary to comply with privacy regulations, they can negatively affect the user experience, reduce conversions, and slow down page loading.
Main issues related to cookie banners
- Compromised user experience
Banners can be invasive, covering important parts of the page and leading to a higher abandonment rate. - Longer load times
The integration of consent management tools introduces third-party scripts that slow down the site. Google estimates that more than 30% of users abandon a page if it loads more than 2 seconds. - Reduced data accuracy
Many users refuse consent to cookies, limiting the data collected by tools such as Google Analytics and reducing the effectiveness of marketing strategies. This means that you may have the impression of a loss of traffic and conversions, when in reality the visitors are there, but they are not registered correctly. If before everything was measurable on the web, today this certainty is being questioned, with the risk of making decisions based on incomplete or distorted data. - Seemingly harmless components that track users
Even elements that seem harmless can generate tracking cookies. Some common examples include:- Embedded videos from YouTube or Vimeo, which set tracking cookies to analyze user behavior.
- Fonts by Google Web Fonts, which can collect data about users when they are loaded from Google's CDN.
- Google Maps maps, which insert cookies to monitor user interaction with the map.
- Social media widget, such as Facebook or Twitter sharing buttons, which can track visitors even if they don't interact directly with them.
- Third-party plugins, especially for CMS like WordPress, which may include hidden tracks, often without the knowledge of the developers.
How to avoid a cookie banner on your Webflow site
If a site does not use cookies, it is not necessary to request consent from users. However, many online tools insert cookies, even for functions not related to tracking.
In the case of Webflow, the platform itself does not set cookies and does not require external plugins to work. This is a significant advantage over platforms like WordPress, where many open-source plugins can include hidden tracks, often without the knowledge of the developers. Some examples of plugins that can generate tracking cookies include:
- Caching tools that save data in user browsers to improve performance.
- Analysis and statistics plugin that collect information without always stating it explicitly.
- External comment systems, such as Disqus, which can track users across different sites.
- Live chat tools, which may insert cookies to monitor interactions with the site.
Webflow, being an all-in-one solution, avoids these problems, allowing you to create a high-performance site without third-party cookies.
Webflow Optimise: a cookie-free alternative
Webflow Optimise is an advanced solution designed to offer tracking and analysis without the use of cookies. Compared to other monitoring tools, it has the advantage of being perfectly integrated with Webflow, ensuring:
- Accurate and lossless data due to the rejection of cookies
- Faster site loading speed, eliminating heavy external scripts
- Full compliance with GDPR and ePrivacy regulations
With Webflow Optimise, you can get useful statistics on traffic and user interactions without compromising privacy or user experience.
How to check if your site uses cookies
- Use a cookie scanner
There are online tools that analyze the site and show which cookies are set. - Use the Chrome development console
- Open the desired site.
- Right-click and select 'Inspect'.
- Go to the 'Application' tab and open 'Cookies' to view any active items.
European alternatives to tracking with cookies
You don't need to give up monitoring to avoid the cookie banner. There are tools that allow you to collect essential statistical data on your site without using cookies, such as Pirsch.io.
These tools offer:
- Compliance with GDPR regulations without the need for explicit consent.
- Complete data without loss of information due to the rejection of cookies.
- Minimal impact on site performance.
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Pirsch.io offers very affordable plans and is easy to install: if you are interested in learning more you can read our article on how to install and monitor events in Webflow here (coming soon)
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If you want to avoid the cookie banner on Webflow, you must ensure that your site does not automatically set tracking or third-party cookies. Thanks to the nature of Webflow, which does not require external plugins, you can reduce the risk of hidden tracking and ensure a smoother and more regulatory compliant experience. Using privacy-friendly monitoring tools like Pirsch.io or the Webflow Optimise add-on, you can continue to collect useful data without compromising user experience or legal compliance.