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How To Use Cookiebot? Step By Step Guide For Beginners

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Cookiebot is a cloud based Consent Management Platform (CMP). It helps website owners make their websites compliant with global data privacy regulations like GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and LGPD.

Cookiebot is a cloud based cookie consent management platform (CMP) that automates the identification and regulation of website trackers to ensure compliance with global data privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA. It provides a three tier system (scanning, banner management, and documentation) to automatically manage user consent, generate cookie declarations, and maintain a secure audit log for compliance.

By law, you cannot drop tracking cookies on a visitor’s browser without their explicit consent. Cookiebot automates this entire legal barrier.

Core Features

  • Automated Cookie Scanning: Scans your website weekly to find and categorize all cookies and trackers.
  • Dynamic Cookie Banner: Displays a fully customizable banner to users based on their geographic location.
  • Cookie Declaration: Automatically generates a detailed list of cookies, their purposes, and origins for your Privacy Policy page.
  • Prior Consent Blocking: Blocks all tracking scripts automatically until the user clicks “Accept.”

Pros and Cons

Pros Cons
Fully Automated: No manual tracking updates needed. Cost: Free plan is limited to one domain and under 50 pages.
Geo-Targeting: Shows the right legal banner to the right user. Script Heavy: Can slightly impact initial page load speeds.
Highly Compatible: Works with WordPress, Shopify, Wix, etc. Setup: Requires editing website code for non plugin setups.

Cookiebot by Usercentrics dashboard graphic showing how to automate consent signaling for Google, Amazon, and Microsoft Advertising.

How to use Cookiebot?

Part 2: Step by Step Guide for Beginners

Follow this guide to set up Cookiebot on your website in under 15 minutes.

Step 1: Create a Free Account

  1. Go to cookiebot.com.
  2. Click Sign Up.
  3. Choose the Free Plan (if your site has under 50 pages) or a trial.
  4. Verify your email address.

Step 2: Add Your Domain

  1. Log into your Cookiebot manager dashboard.
  2. Click on the Domains tab.
  3. Click Add Domain.
  4. Type your website URL (e.g., yourwebsite.com).
  5. Save your changes. Cookiebot will now automatically start scanning your site.

Step 3: Customize Your Banner

  1. Go to the Dialog tab.
  2. Choose a template (e.g., Swift is highly recommended for mobile responsiveness).
  3. Select your layout (bottom banner, top banner, or center pop-up).
  4. Go to the Content tab to edit the text or language of your banner.

Step 4: Implement Cookiebot on Your Website

To make the banner appear, you must add Cookiebot’s scripts to your website.

Method A: For WordPress Users (Easiest)

  1. Log into your WordPress Dashboard.
  2. Go to Plugins > Add New.
  3. Search for “Cookiebot CMP”.
  4. Install and Activate it.
  5. Go to the plugin settings and paste your Domain Group ID (found in your Cookiebot dashboard).

Method B: Manual HTML Setup (For any website)

  1. Go to the Your Scripts tab in Cookiebot.
  2. Copy the first code snippet (The Consent Banner script).
  3. Paste this code into your website’s HTML template, directly inside the <head> tag.
  4. Copy the second code snippet (The Cookie Declaration script).
  5. Paste this code onto your “Privacy Policy” or “Cookie Policy” page where you want the cookie list to appear.

Step 5: Test Your Setup

  1. Open a new Incognito/Private browser window.
  2. Visit your website.
  3. Verify that the Cookiebot banner appears immediately.
  4. Click “Accept” or “Decline” to ensure it functions properly.

Automated Cookie Policy Generation

To use Cookiebot for automated cookie policy generation, you need to embed their Cookie Declaration script into your website. Cookiebot will then automatically update this page every time it scans your site.

Here is exactly how to set it up:

Step 1: Locate the Script in Cookiebot

  1. Log into your Cookiebot Dashboard.
  2. Click on the Settings tab.
  3. Select the Your Scripts tab.
  4. Scroll down to the second script box labeled “Cookie Declaration”.
  5. Copy that specific code snippet. It will look similar to this:
<script id="CookieDeclaration" src="https://cookiebot.com" type="text/javascript" async></script>

Step 2: Create Your Policy Page

  1. Log into your website platform (WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, etc.).
  2. Create a new page.
  3. Title it “Cookie Policy” or “Declaration”.
  4. You can write a brief introductory sentence if you like (e.g., “This website uses cookies to improve your experience…”).

Step 3: Embed the Code

You must paste the script into the HTML / Code view of your page, not the standard text editor.

  • For WordPress (Block Editor): Add a Custom HTML block and paste the script inside.
  • For Shopify: Create a new page, click the Show HTML (<>) button in the rich text editor, and paste the script.
  • For Custom HTML: Open your code editor and paste the script exactly where you want the table to appear within the <body> tags.
  • For Elementor / Divi: Use a Code or HTML module to embed the snippet.

Step 4: Publish and Verify

Save and Publish the page.

View the live page on your browser.

You will see a detailed, professionally formatted statement that includes:

  • A statement of the user’s current consent state (and an option to change or withdraw it).
  • The date the policy was last updated.
  • A categorized list of all cookies found on your site (Necessary, Preferences, Statistics, Marketing).
  • The purpose, provider, and expiration date of every single cookie.

Step 5: Link It in Your Footer

  1. Go to your website’s Menu/Navigation settings.
  2. Add a link to your new Cookie Policy page in your website’s footer.
  3. This ensures visitors can access it at any time to change their consent.

Cookiebot streamlines complex data privacy requirements by transforming a site’s cookie compliance into a hands-off, automated process. Its ability to continuously scan, categorize trackers, and dynamically update your declaration pages removes the burden of manual legal updates for website owners.

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