GDPR Cookie Consent Widget
Contents
GDPR Cookie Consent Widget
The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires that you have a cookie consent displayed prominently on your site.
It must be visible for all European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK) citizens and residents, and anyone who may be in the EU at the time they visit your site.
The GDPR Cookie Consent Widget is Solo Build It!'s method of adding the cookie consent bar to the top or bottom of all your pages (BB2, BB1, uploaded, and C2).
It shows the consent bar to anyone viewing one of your pages, even though the visitor might not be an EU citizen or resident, and might not be in the EU at the time of visiting.
We do this because there's no effective way to know who is an EU citizen viewing your site from outside the EU.
The bar allows visitors to get more information about your use of cookies, which must be outlined in your privacy policy.
The GDPR Cookie Consent Widget uses your privacy policy page by default. For help updating an existing privacy policy page to meet the GDPR requirements, see this TNT HQ article...
https://sbitips.sitesell.com/privacy-policy.html
That article also links to a Google Doc template to customize and publish as your privacy policy. Be sure to use the template for existing privacy policy pages, not the one for new pages.
To use the GDPR Cookie Consent Widget, you must have a privacy policy page. If you don't have one yet, the widget will build one for you, using the file name privacy-policy.
Widget Status
Your widget has two status options -- OFF and ON. Set to OFF, the consent bar will not display on your pages. Click on the gray circle above ON to activate the widget.
The green button will slide across. Once you save the new settings, the consent bar will display at the top or bottom of every page of your site, including all BB2, BB1, UYOH and C2 pages.
If you decide later that you don't want to show the opt-in bar (remember, you must show it if you want to comply with the GDPR), click on the gray circle above OFF, then save the settings.
Important New Option
If you display AdSense ads on your site, Google requires that you show a consent management widget on your pages, you have the option to hide the SBI! GDPR widget while leaving the privacy policy links untouched. Instructions are below.
Use this hide option only if you're using AdSense and Google's consent management widget, or any other consent management widget.
Customizing Your Message
The various parts of the widget are completely customizable.
Widget Text
This is the message that your visitors will see at the top or bottom of each page. If you prefer to use the word "me" instead of "us," and "my" instead of "our," change that. Or change the entire message.
You can also translate the message into your site's main language. We recommend using the existing text, as sites that offer recognized GDPR advice have provided it. Copy the text below, which is the default GDPR widget text, translate it, and paste the translation into the text box.
This site uses cookies. Some are required for the site to run, others to enhance your experience.
Keep the text as short as possible without making it confusing or omitting anything. If your message is longer than one line, it will wrap to the second line. All the text is centered.
The live Preview will update as you make any changes.
"Privacy policy" Link Label
The widget provides a link to your privacy policy page in the consent bar. See the Preview for what it looks like.
You can change the text for the link label to whatever you want it to say.
However, we recommend that you use the term Privacy policy. If your site is in another language, change it to your language's equivalent of "Privacy policy."
The live Preview will update as you make any changes.
"Privacy policy" Link File Name
The most common privacy page file name is "privacy-policy," so we pre-entered that for you. If your privacy file name is different, replace the existing text with the file name of your page.
Hover over the link in the Preview to see the file name change.
If you don't already have a privacy policy page, the widget will build one for you. The file name will be privacy-policy.
After you activate the consent bar, go to Page Manager and click on the privacy policy link to edit the page to suit your needs.
We recommend that you customize and use the text found in the template discussed above.
Button Text
We recommend that you use I Agree or I consent, as the GDPR requires that people agree/consent to your cookie message and the terms of your privacy policy.
If your site is in another language, change the button text to your equivalent of "I Agree" or "I Consent."
Position
The default position for the bar is the top of the page. If you prefer, you can switch it to display at the bottom of the page. Placing it at the bottom will ensure that your header image or your navigation will not be (partially) hidden under the widget.
Click on the menu and select bottom. This will add CSS that will force the bar to the bottom of the page.
If you change your mind and want the bar at the top, select top from the menu.
If you will be using a consent management widget, select hide from the menu. This will remove the widget from all of your site's pages, while keeping the privacy policy links active. It will also keep all the checkboxes on your FBI! and MailOut Manager forms.
Note that the preview at the bottom will disappear if you select hide. This indicates to you that there's no widget showing on your pages.
Building the Widget
To save your changes, click on the Update GDPR Cookie Consent Widget button. Or click on Cancel to return to Site Central without making any changes.
Post-Activation Tasks
Once you activate your GDPR widget, each form and invitation you add to your site will require the addition of three statements and radio buttons for your visitors to agree to the statements.
You'll also need to update your privacy policy every time you add new functionality (e.g., C2 invitations), social buttons, or monetization options to your site.
Click here to read an article that outlines what you need to do to remain compliant.