A cookie audit is a thorough evaluation of how a website uses cookies, focusing on data collection, storage duration, and security practices. It helps website owners ensure compliance with privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA by assessing whether cookies are used legally and transparently, including obtaining explicit user consent for non-essential cookies.
Additionally, cookie audits help identify potential risks related to third-party cookies, trackers, and pixels, which can impact data privacy. The insights gathered during the audit can be used to enhance the website’s performance and user experience by improving cookie management and understanding user behavior, such as site engagement and traffic sources. Cookie audits can be conducted fairly easily manually or with specialized tools like DataTrue and Cookiebot, which streamline the process. Ensuring user consent is crucial, as consent must be explicit and cannot rely on implied actions like scrolling or closing a consent banner.