So-called third-party cookies have been blocked since 2020, by Safari, and some of the other browsers are threatened with extinction in 2022. Google has already postponed that to 2023.In general, cookies are important and, above all, useful; they are an essential pillar of online marketing. They make it easier for users to surf websites and enable an uncomplicated and good user experience. They offer website owners the opportunity to learn a lot about visitors by setting cookies and to use this data to make the website or product more user-friendly.
But what are these “third-party cookies”?
Third party cookies are used by advertisers to collect information about user behavior on other websites. In this way, information about third parties can be collected on third-party websites on which advertisements have been placed. Some analysts also speak of so-called tracking cookies when it comes to third-party cookies. They are also often used to mark the visitor of a website in order to be able to recognize him later. Among other things, they provide information on the user’s navigation via links, length of stay of a user, page views and the frequency of the visits. In this way, they provide a clear picture of the interests of a user. With the help of these cookies, for example, advertising tailored to the user is placed.
And the other cookies?
First party cookies are cookies that are set by the website owners themselves. With the help of these cookies, for example, returning users can be recognized, the performance of a page can be increased, loading times can be measured and the behavior on the website can be analyzed. So they are an essential tool for every website owner.
Where is the problem?
Users have little transparency about the use of their data through the use of third-party cookies – this is bad for users’ trust in the companies involved. So there are primarily privacy concerns. So alternatives have to be found in order to continue to offer personalized offers and content. These are essential for long-term customer loyalty – which in turn leads to increasing sales.
But what comes next?
That is exactly the current question for many companies. For example, Facebook offers a so-called conversion API solution; in simple terms, a direct connection is generated, cookies are superfluous. Online advertisers will therefore have to come up with individual solutions.