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Cookies
Cookies are small text files that are found on different websites and stored in your browser or device in order to understand and measure your online activity .
Their main objective is to make Internet browsing much simpler and faster , both for the browser and for the user. But how does it do this? For example, when you enter a page, you select the language in which you want to see it. This information is saved with cookies, so each time you enter you will see it in that language. The same happens when you log in, so you do not need to do it every time you enter the site, since it identifies you. Another function for cookies is focused on purchasing terms, when you see a product or add it to your cart, and it is responsible for reminding you about it through your navigation on different pages with remarketing ads.
In terms of business, cookies help website owners better understand the traffic that comes to their pages and create context for them. It also allows you to identify the content that interests your audience, in order to optimize your strategy to take advantage of it, perhaps with advertising campaigns aimed at a certain audience.
Types of cookies
There are different categories for cookies, depending on their nature. I will tell you the two main ones below; the first ones are by duration :
Session cookies:
These cookies are temporary and are not stored on your computer, meaning they disappear once you close your browser. Their purpose is simply to remember which pages you have visited in this session, in case you want to return.
Persistent cookies:
As the name suggests, these cookies are stored in your device's memory to remember you during future sessions, to facilitate your login to certain pages, or to personalize your online experience.
On the other hand, there is another type of cookies, which is probably the most popular , and which is categorized by who manages them :
1st party:
These are set by the same domain of the website you are visiting, and are for its own use , such as saving the language you have selected, and improving your experience.
3rd party:
These third-party cookies are generally managed by a company outside the site's domain , and are mainly used to understand user behavior across different pages, in order to track them and create better-targeted advertising campaigns .
1st party cookies 3rd party cookies
Setup and reading It can be set by the website server owner or via JavaScript. It can be configured by a third-party server through a code inserted on the website.
Availability It can only be accessed through the domain that created it. It can be accessed on any page that loads code from the third-party server.
Browser support, blocking and deletion It is supported by all browsers and can be blocked and removed by the user, but doing so may result in a poor user experience. It is supported by all browsers, but many are already blocking these cookies by default, and more and more users are deleting them.
Source: Clearcode
The future of cookies
According to statistics, 72% of users feel that almost everything they do online is being tracked by companies for their advertising campaigns, and there are increasing concerns about the importance of privacy and how they are using their personal information .
That is why, since last year, Google announced that it is trying to eliminate support for third-party cookies , and that it has been working on new ways to protect the identity of its users , while also generating good results for its advertisers.
"People shouldn't have to agree to be tracked across the web to get the benefits of relevant advertising. And advertisers don't need to track individual consumers across the web to get the performance benefits of digital advertising."
- David Temkin, Director of Product Management, Ads Privacy and Trust at Google
What they are looking for is to generate a strategy focused on anonymity , where they can still segment users by interests, for example, but without the possibility of identifying each individual. Privacy protection is taking a key role for current users, so technology companies must take this into account.
Now, the focus is on 1st party cookies , where it is more important than ever to create strong relationships with your audience, so that they themselves share information about themselves, in exchange for a more valuable and personalized experience on the website.
What is coming for the use of user information is still being built, but what is certain is that we are going towards more anonymous browsing. And companies must begin to prepare for these changes, working on redesigning their strategies to generate more trust as a brand and create experiences that allow them to build relationships with their audience.
