We ran consent reviews for a handful of clients in September. The sites were in different industries, but the problems were nearly identical. Here are the three we saw most.
1. The banner loads after the tags
The consent tool was installed through Google Tag Manager, which meant GTM fired first and the banner second. By the time the banner asked permission, several tags had already run. The fix is to load the consent tool directly in the page, before GTM.
2. Consent Mode was on, but not wired to the banner
Consent Mode was enabled with default values of denied, which is correct. But nothing updated those values when a visitor clicked Accept, so every visitor looked like a decline. Reports dropped by 90 percent and the team assumed that was just the cost of compliance.
3. Regional rules were not set
The banner showed to everyone, everywhere, including regions where it is not required. This is not a compliance problem, but it costs data you are allowed to keep. Most consent tools let you show the banner only where the law requires it.