No. Google's own help page says advertisers can, but are not required to, use a consent management platform certified in its CMP partner program. Certification is required only for publishers who earn from AdSense, Ad Manager or AdMob and show personalised ads in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland.
Checked against Google's own pages on 5 November 2026.
No. If you only advertise with Google Ads and measure with Google Analytics 4, Google does not require a certified CMP. Its Google Ads help page says advertisers "can (but are not required to)" use a CMP certified in the CMP partner program, and the partner program's own page says nothing stops advertisers using a CMP that is not a partner. What Google does require, for visitors in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, is a consent banner and consent signals sent through Consent Mode or the TCF. A certified CMP is required for publishers using AdSense, Ad Manager or AdMob to show personalised ads in those regions.
Google Ads Help →Two of Google's pages answer it directly.
Advertisers "can (but are not required to)" use a CMP certified by Google in the CMP partner program. The same page says a certified CMP gives "seamless integration" with Consent Mode, which is a convenience, not a condition.
Google Ads Help →"Nothing prevents advertisers from using a CMP that is not a partner (yet) to adopt Consent Mode and meet our EU UCP requirements."
CMP Partner Program →So for Google Ads and GA4, the banner does not need a Google badge. It needs to do the things Google lists below.
Google's audit page lists what its reviewers check when they visit a site the way a visitor would. For visitors in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland:
Google Ads Help →Shown to visitors from every one of those countries.
The visitor takes an action, such as clicking "OK" or "I agree".
The first layer of the banner says that cookies and personal data may be used for "ads personalization".
With a link to Google's Business Data Responsibility Site (business.safety.google/privacy). The link can sit on the banner, or in your privacy policy if that link is visible on the policy's first screen.
"For EEA traffic, advertisers are required to send signals to Google that reflect end user preferences via consent mode or TCF."
Where consent is required.
Google's EU user consent policy adds two more: keep records of the consents visitors give, and give visitors clear instructions for withdrawing consent.
If a site falls short, Google says it first contacts the advertiser. If nothing changes, it can switch off ad personalisation, remarketing or conversion measurement on the account.
No, and mixing them up is where most of the confusion starts.
For advertisers. Partners are rated Gold, Silver or Bronze and integrate with Consent Mode. Using one is optional.
For publishers. These CMPs are certified by Google and integrate with the IAB's Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF). AdSense, Ad Manager and AdMob publishers showing personalised ads in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland must use one.
Several well-known consent tools are on both lists. That is why "Google-certified" appears in so many cookie banner ads, even though it only decides anything for publishers.
Google's EU user consent policy covers end users in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, and its Consent Mode rule is written for those regions. A site whose ads reach only South Africans is outside that rule.
EU user consent policy →POPIA still applies at home: a cookie ID and an IP address are personal information, and people should be told before you collect them. If your ads also reach Europe or the UK, Google's rules above apply to those visitors.
No. Certification is about who built the banner, not which mode you run. Google describes two modes: in basic, Google's tags stay blocked until the visitor chooses and nothing reaches Google before that; in advanced, the tags load straight away with consent denied and "send measurements without cookies". Either one sends the consent signals Google asks advertisers for.
Consent mode overview →Google's publisher help page names them: partners using Google AdSense, Ad Manager or AdMob that serve personalised ads to visitors in:
Ad Manager Help →Since 16 January 2024.
Since 31 July 2024.
The CMP must be certified by Google and integrate with the TCF. Google says traffic from a non-certified CMP "may be eligible for non-personalized ads or limited ads", so a publisher without one keeps earning, but from ads that are not personalised.
If your site shows AdSense ads to European visitors, pick a CMP from Google's certified list. Embedra is not on it.
Embedra's Cookie Banner is not a Google-certified CMP, not a CMP partner and does not support the TCF. For an advertiser on Google Ads and GA4, Google says that is fine. Here is what the banner does, and what it leaves to you.
See the Cookie Banner →Sends Google Consent Mode v2 in Strict mode: all four signals (ad_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization, analytics_storage) start at denied and change only when the visitor chooses.
Runs basic or advanced, your pick per tool: Embedra loads your Google tag only after a yes, or your existing tag stays and the banner sends the update.
Holds Google Analytics, Google Ads, Tag Manager, Microsoft Clarity, the Meta Pixel, the TikTok Pixel, the LinkedIn Insight Tag and the ChatGPT Ads pixel until a visitor says yes.
Lets visitors change or withdraw their choice later, from a Cookie settings button or any link on your site.
New banners start as an informational notice with one button, which sends no Consent Mode. Switch to Strict Compliance and connect your Google tag.
Add Google's Business Data Responsibility Site to your privacy policy (the banner links to it) and mention ads personalisation in the banner text, which you can edit.
The banner stores each choice in the visitor's own browser and sends nothing to Embedra, so it keeps no log for you. Google's policy asks you to keep records.
The Cookie Banner is on every plan: Free with a small Embedra badge, Starter at $7 a month without it.
Most popular
75,000 monthly views
Any 10 widgets
Unlimited domains
Custom CSS / JS
5 projects
No badge
No. Google's Google Ads help page says advertisers "can (but are not required to)" use a CMP certified in its CMP partner program. For visitors in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland you do need a consent banner and Consent Mode or TCF signals.
Publishers using AdSense, Ad Manager or AdMob to show personalised ads in the EEA and the UK (since 16 January 2024) and Switzerland (since 31 July 2024). The CMP must be certified by Google and integrate with the TCF.
Google says that traffic may still be eligible for non-personalised or limited ads, but only traffic from a certified CMP is eligible for personalised ads.
No. It is not a certified CMP or a CMP partner, and it does not support the TCF. It sends Google Consent Mode v2, which Google accepts from advertisers whatever CMP they use.
Google's pages do not say so. Its audit checks the banner, the wording, the link to Google's site, the consent signals and cookies before consent, whichever tool sets them up.