How to Add GDPR Cookie Banner for Squarespace

Cookies are small text files that are set on the browser and mostly store information about the user’s behavior on the browser. These data are then used by the third-parties to create a profile of the user’s preferences and provide them with targeted advertisements, that are more likely to be clicked by the users. Cookies track the user behavior, what links they click on and even their user history to target relevant ads.

This tracking of users without their knowledge is against GDPR. The EU General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR as it is often abbreviated to is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union. GDPR helps protect user’s data by asking user’s consent before setting cookies on any website they visit.

But before we go further into that, let us first look into what cookies are, why we need cookie policies and what they do.

Most website owners include the cookie policy in their terms and conditions. Ever since GDPR came into play, websites have been required to not just ask for the permission of the user for running but also get more information included in the policy like the name and type of cookies used along with the cookie name and ID. The purpose of the cookies used should also be specified in the cookie list. Some cookies die out after a user session and some are persistent ones, that stay along for a year or so. The duration to which a cookie will stay in your browser must be specified. The whereabouts of the data shared through the cookies should be specified. Cookie rejection and acceptance policy should be mentioned for the users must know how to opt-out of cookies.

A cookie banner should have a cookie compliance message with information about the cookies, script, and processing of user data. The cookies used along with their purpose, duration and with an option to prevent them from launching should be present on the cookie banner.

Each cookie and scripts are to be categorized into lists as per their type. Other than these, a privacy policy mentioning the collection of data of the user is to be mentioned. 

To add a cookie banner that is GDPR compliant on your Squarespace website, you can use the tool  CookieYes. 

CookieYes helps to create and display a cookie banner, that you can customize to match your website as per your preference. It also helps manage cookie details set on the website and block these cookies prior to consent. Using CookieYes you can provide granular control over the cookies for your users.

Go to the CookieYes website. Sign Up on CookieYes and create an account.

Once you’ve signed up, you will be redirected to another page. Here you will find the CookieYes code. To implement the CookieYes code on your Squarespace website, copy the CookieYes verification code.

Next, go to your Squarespace website. On the website and click on Settings option available at the top of the page. 

When you click on Settings you will find a lot of other options available, namely Basic, SEO, Social, Media, Syndication, and Advanced. Go to Advanced settings.

In the advanced settings, scroll down to Page Header Code Injection. Here you can find the space available to Paste the code. Once you have pasted the code Save the settings.

Note that this feature is only available to Premium users. Once the settings are saved and the code is implemented, you can view the cookie banner on your Squarespace website. This banner can be further customized using CookieYes features.

With privacy becoming a global concern, setting a cookie banner will help you win the trust of your users and save you from the lawsuit, provided the website follows all rules and is GDPR compliant. I hope this article helped you understand how to add a GDPR cookie banner using CookieYes.