July 2024: Google decides to keep third-party cookies in Chrome

Covers July 2024. Part of our search timeline: a month-by-month look at the changes that shaped SEO, AI search, paid ads and social media, written in November 2026 for local businesses with the benefit of hindsight.

This entry is part of our timeline of the search and social changes that have shaped how local businesses win work online, written with hindsight.

What did Google announce in July 2024?

Following years of postponements, Google reversed its plan to phase out third-party cookies. It pointed to feedback from regulators, publishers and advertisers, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority among them.

Why it mattered for local businesses

Firms that had already put work into consent, server-side tracking and their own customer data kept their lead. Anyone hoping tracking would go back to how it used to be still had to deal with consent rules and with the restrictions built into Safari and Firefox. For a kitchen fitter running Google Ads, that meant measurement still depended on good setup rather than on cookies alone.

What to focus on now

• Keep building consented first-party data, such as your customer email list.
• Keep server-side tracking and enhanced conversions running and maintained.
• Judge results using platform figures, your analytics and real jobs booked together.

Frequently asked questions

Do I still need a cookie banner?

Yes. UK law requires consent for non-essential cookies whatever the browsers do.

Are third-party cookies blocked in Safari and Firefox?

Yes. Both browsers restrict them by default.

Sources and further reading

• Privacy Sandbox official site

Want help with this? We set up consent friendly tracking and reporting through our analytics and measurement service. Get in touch.