Third-party cookies have been a major part of online advertising for years now. These cookies are what help businesses track user activity online, deliver personalized ads, and collect user data to optimize campaigns. Much of what advertisers do today would not have been possible without cookies.
But things are changing fast, and privacy concerns and demands from consumers are leading to the end of third-party cookies. In other words, businesses will no longer have access to one of their most valuable online marketing tools.
Below, this SEM agency in Valparaiso, Indiana is going to explain why third-party cookies are disappearing, and how your online marketing strategies can adapt to this change.
Reasons behind the phaseout of third-party cookies.
Third-party cookies are being phased out because people are increasingly worried about their privacy online. Over the years, many internet users have become uncomfortable with the idea of companies tracking them as they browse the web. Most people don’t like the fact that businesses can just follow their every move on the internet (even without their permission) and use their personal data to serve them targeted ads or, worse, sell that data.
A survey in May 2023 showed that about 40% of U.S. internet users are worried about their data being sold or stolen. It has also been reported that nearly half of all American adults avoided certain products or services because they did not like how much personal information companies were collecting.
Governments and regulatory agencies already have measures in place to address these concerns, to some extent at least. For example, in December 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) introduced a rule under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to stop data brokers from selling private information without getting proper consent from users.
Tech giants like Google and Apple are also taking action to improve user privacy on the internet. To give you an example, Apple introduced a feature in 2021 called App Tracking Transparency (ATT), which now requires iOS apps to ask for user permission before tracking their activity across other apps and websites. Apple also launched Advanced Data Protection a year later, which uses end-to-end encryption to protect iCloud data like photos, notes, and backups.
Meanwhile, Google has introduced the Privacy Sandbox to give users better privacy while maintaining the open web. This system replaces third-party cookies with technologies like the Topics API, which helps advertisers show relevant ads based on users’ interests without tracking any user directly.
These changes are huge for businesses and advertisers. Third-party cookies made it easy to target specific audiences, measure ad performance, and improve advertising strategies. Without them, SEM agencies in Valparaiso, Indiana are going to have to come up with new ways to run successful online ad campaigns.
What does the cookieless future mean for your ad strategies?
If your SEM strategy still depends on third-party cookies, you need to make some big changes now. You cannot track users across multiple websites as easily without third-party cookies, so you will lose the ability to run retargeting campaigns that reach users who visited your site but did not take action. Tracking your ad performance will also be harder because you will not be able to collect as much data.
But this does not mean that personalized advertising is gone forever. Advertising is only becoming more focused on privacy. So, if you want to succeed in this environment, you will need to use new strategies like first-party data (information collected directly from your customers), contextual targeting (showing ads based on the content of the page users are viewing), and consent-driven marketing (getting permission before using customer data).
Adapting to these new strategies is not easy and working with a professional SEM agency in Valparaiso, Indiana can be a big help. These agencies can help your business create campaigns that are optimized for this privacy-first world.
Looking for an SEM Agency in Valparaiso, Indiana?
Are you ready to turn the upcoming online marketing challenges into opportunities for your business? If so, and if you are looking for the top-rated SEM agency in Valparaiso, Indiana to guide you with that, look no further than Digital Destination LLC. Contact us at (312) 933-6806 to schedule a free consultation.