In case no one has told you yet…
It’s time to start owning your own data.
For the first time in internet history, consumers are paying close attention to how their data is collected, stored, and used. And rightfully so. Data privacy is no longer just a buzzword—it’s reshaping the entire digital marketing industry.
If you run ads or track user behavior online, there’s one big change you need to understand:
Third-party cookies are going away.
And that’s a problem—unless you’re ready for it.
Cookies have been around since 1994. They’re tiny text files stored in your browser. Marketers use them to track things like:
But not all cookies are the same.
For years, advertisers relied on third-party cookies to track users across sites, build audiences, and optimize campaigns.
That era is ending. Well, it’s pretty much ended.
Google Chrome, the most popular browser in the world, is phasing out third-party cookies completely by late 2025. Safari and Firefox already block them by default.
This change has massive ripple effects. It:
Ad platforms promise “one-click” campaigns—Smart Campaigns, Performance Max, Advantage+. They look easy: Google writes ads, picks keywords, sets bids. But easy can hide risk.
Our team recently audited an account that ran Smart Campaigns for three years. The in-house staff assumed Google “had it handled.” Reality check:
Smart Campaigns don’t expose the levers that pros need. Advertising without data is like sailing without a compass.
The fix is simple in theory: collect customer data on your own domain and share it with your ad platform in a privacy-safe way. Google calls this feature Enhanced Conversions.
Enhanced Conversions add hashed customer details (email, phone, name, address) to your standard conversion tag. Google scrambles those strings with SHA-256 before they leave the browser. On Google’s side, the hash is matched against signed-in users to improve reporting and and match rates.
We built and open-sourced a Custom JS Variable for Google Tag Manager (GTM). It gathers user-provided data (email, phone, and address fields) and returns it in the exact shape Google needs.
Tip: keep two tabs open—GTM and Google Ads—while you follow along.
Most sites collect lead info through a form. Pull those values into GTM as variables:
| Field | Common Source | GTM Variable Type |
|---|---|---|
#email input | DOM Element, DLV, etc | |
| Phone | Data Layer push | DOM, DLV, etc |
| First name | #first_name | DOM, DLV, etc |
| …and so on |
Variables → New → Custom JavaScript
Name it Enhanced Conversion Object.
Paste the script from GitHub.
Edit the variable names inside the code to match Step 1.
Google Ads → Tools & Settings → Conversions
Pick your primary conversion action.
Click Settings → Enhanced Conversions → Enable.
Choose “Google Tag Manager” as the implementation method.
If you use the Google Ads tag template:
Open the tag → Enhanced Conversions → Turn On
Choose “Use a variable” and pick Enhanced Conversion Object
Open Tag Assistant → Preview your site.
Fill out the form and submit.
Look for a user_data payload. It should contain hashed strings, never raw emails.
In Ads, check Diagnostics under Enhanced Conversions after 24 hours. Google will confirm matches.
Privy Clear configures GTM, GA4, and Google Ads for brands that are ready to take their growth seriously.
If you’d rather focus on growth and let us wire the tech, reach out. If you’d rather DIY a solution, still reach out! We want to be a resource, always.