Add a cookie consent banner to EmDash

A consent management platform (CMP) shows a cookie banner and records each visitor’s choice. To work properly it has to load before your analytics and marketing tags. With Header & Footer Code you control that order with priority: lower runs first.

Caution

This page covers the mechanics of loading a CMP in EmDash. It isn’t legal advice. Check what your CMP and your regulators require.

The load order

Priority	Snippet	Placement
1	Google consent mode defaults	Head
2	Your CMP’s script	Head
5	Google Tag Manager loader	Head
10	Google Analytics 4, other tags	Head

All four go in the head, so the order within the head is what matters.

1. Set consent mode defaults (Google tags only)

If you use Google Analytics, Google Ads or GTM, Google’s consent mode needs default states before any Google tag loads. Add this as a snippet with Placement Head and Priority 1:

<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
  gtag('consent', 'default', {
    ad_storage: 'denied',
    ad_user_data: 'denied',
    ad_personalization: 'denied',
    analytics_storage: 'denied',
    wait_for_update: 500
  });
</script>

Many CMPs can set these defaults for you. If yours does, skip this snippet so the defaults aren’t set twice.

2. Add your CMP’s script

1. Copy the installation script from your CMP’s dashboard. For example, CookieYes gives you a tag like this:

   <script id="cookieyes" type="text/javascript" src="https://cdn-cookieyes.com/client_data/YOUR_SITE_ID/script.js"></script>

2. In Header & Footer Code, add it as a new snippet with Placement Head and Priority 2.

3. Leave targeting empty so the banner shows on every page.

4. Save, then open your site in a private window to see the banner.

3. Keep your other tags after it

Give analytics and marketing snippets a priority higher than your CMP’s, such as 5 for the GTM loader and 10 for Google Analytics.

Blocking scripts until consent

CMPs block non-essential scripts in one of two ways:

• Automatic blocking: the CMP scans the page and holds back known trackers. Nothing else to do.
• Manual tagging: you mark each script with its category, usually by changing type to text/plain and adding a category attribute your CMP documents. Edit the snippet code to match.

If you have many snippets to tag, a transform can add the attribute for you based on a category stored in the snippet’s meta. The transforms page has a worked data-category example.

Check it works

• In a private window, the banner appears before any analytics request is sent. Check the Network tab in DevTools.
• With GTM, Tag Assistant’s Consent tab shows the default and updated consent states.
• View the page source: the consent defaults come first, then the CMP, then your tags.