> Cookie banner text templates to copy: first-layer wording by site type, button labels, category descriptions and a CCPA notice, all GDPR-ready. > > Canonical: https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/cookie-banner-text-templates [Regulation](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog?category=regulation) # Cookie banner text: copy-ready templates for GDPR, UK and US sites By Roland Vekemans · Published 10 October 2026 · 7 min read In short Good cookie banner text says four things in plain words: what the cookies are for, who sets them, that the visitor can accept, reject or choose, and how to change that choice later. Keep the first layer to two or three sentences, use neutral button labels such as Accept all and Reject all, and put the detail in a preferences panel. Below are copy-ready cookie banner text templates for common site types, button labels, category descriptions and the US variant, each to adapt to the trackers your site really uses. Most cookie banners are written once, copied from another site, and never touched again. That is how sites end up with text that mentions "partners" they do not have, or that hides the refusal option behind vague wording. The text is not decoration: under the ePrivacy rules and the GDPR, it is what makes consent "informed". If the wording is wrong, the consent you collect may not be valid, however good the design. For the full legal frame (design, buttons, prior blocking), see our [cookie banner compliance guide](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/cookie-banner-gdpr-compliance-guide). This article focuses on the words. ## What should a cookie banner say? The obligation comes from Article 5(3) of the [ePrivacy Directive](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/laws/eprivacy-directive): storing or reading a non-essential cookie requires consent based on clear and comprehensive information. The GDPR then defines what valid consent is: free, specific, informed and unambiguous. In practice, regulators such as the CNIL, the ICO and the AEPD expect the first layer of the banner to cover: - **The purposes**, named concretely: audience measurement, advertising, personalisation, embedded videos. "To improve your experience" alone is too vague. - **Who sets the cookies**: your company, and the fact that third parties are involved, with the full list one click away. - **The choice**: accept, reject, or choose by category, with refusal as easy as acceptance. - **Withdrawal**: how to change one's mind later, usually a link or floating button. - **A link to the cookie policy**, where the full details live. The Court of Justice of the EU added a detail in its Planet49 ruling (2019): the information given must include how long cookies last and whether third parties can access them. That level of detail belongs in the second layer and in your [cookie policy](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/cookie-policy-gdpr-guide), not in the first two sentences. One phrase is now off limits everywhere in the EU: "By continuing to browse, you accept cookies". The EDPB's consent guidelines state that scrolling or continuing to browse is not a clear affirmative action. ## Before you write: list what your site really sets Banner text must describe your actual cookies, not a generic list. A blog that only uses a privacy-friendly analytics tool needs one purpose; a shop running Meta and Google Ads needs at least three. Copying a text that mentions advertising when you have none confuses visitors; copying one that omits advertising when you run a pixel makes the consent invalid. So start with an inventory. **Check in 30 seconds which cookies your site sets with the** [**free cookie scanner**](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/scan), then group what it finds into categories. Our guide to the [four GDPR cookie categories](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/gdpr-cookie-categories-guide) explains where each type of cookie belongs. ## Cookie banner text templates you can copy Each template below is a first layer: the short text visitors see before choosing. Replace the bracketed parts with your own details. ### Blog or showcase site (analytics only) _We use cookies to keep this site running and, if you agree, to measure how many people visit and which pages they read. You can accept, reject or change your choice at any time from the Cookie settings link at the bottom of each page. \[Cookie policy]_ ### Standard site (analytics and marketing) _We and our partners use cookies to run this site and, with your consent, to measure audience and show you relevant ads on other sites. You can accept all, reject all or choose by purpose. Your choice applies to this site and you can change it at any time. \[See our partners] \[Cookie policy]_ ### Online shop _We use cookies to keep your basket and secure your payment. With your consent, we and our partners \[Google, Meta] also use cookies to measure visits and personalise ads. Refusing does not affect your order. You can change your choice at any time from Cookie settings. \[Cookie policy]_ ### SaaS or B2B site _This site uses cookies needed for login and security. With your consent, we also use analytics cookies to understand how our product pages are used, and marketing cookies to measure our campaigns on \[LinkedIn, Google Ads]. You can accept, reject or choose by category. \[Cookie policy]_ ### Site with embedded content _Some pages include videos and maps from \[YouTube, Google Maps], which set their own cookies when loaded. With your consent, we load this content and use analytics cookies to measure audience. If you reject, the content stays blocked until you allow it. \[Cookie policy]_ The pattern is the same each time: what is essential, what needs consent, who is involved, the choice, and how to change it. Our [cookie banner examples](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/gdpr-cookie-banner-examples-best-practices) show how these texts fit into different layouts. ## What should the buttons say? Button labels are part of the text, and regulators read them closely. Use short, symmetrical labels: - **Accept all** and **Reject all**, side by side, same size and same style. - **Customise** or **Choose by category** for the preferences panel. - **Save my choices** inside the panel. Avoid labels that blur the meaning: "OK" (accept what?), "Got it" (sounds like information, not consent), "Learn more" used as the only way to refuse, or guilt-tripping wording such as "No, I prefer a worse experience". In France, the CNIL also accepts a visible "Continue without accepting" link as the refusal option, provided it is as easy to use as the accept button. ## Text for the preferences panel The second layer describes each category. Keep one or two sentences per category and name the tools. - **Strictly necessary (always active).** _These cookies make the site work: security, login, basket, and storing your cookie choice. They do not need your consent._ - **Analytics.** _These cookies help us count visits and see which pages are used, so we can improve the site. Tool used: \[Google Analytics 4]. Retention: \[13 months maximum]._ - **Marketing.** _These cookies let us and our partners \[Meta, Google Ads] measure the effectiveness of our ads and show you relevant ads on other sites._ - **Functional or embedded content.** _These cookies are set by third-party services we embed, such as \[YouTube] videos or \[Google Maps]. Without them, this content will not load._ No box is pre-ticked: the CJEU ruled in Planet49 that a pre-ticked box is not valid consent. ## Footer link and withdrawal text Consent must be as easy to withdraw as to give. A permanent link or floating button does the job. Typical labels: **Cookie settings**, **Manage cookies** or **Privacy choices**. If your cookie policy page mentions withdrawal, add one line such as: _You can change or withdraw your consent at any time from the Cookie settings link at the bottom of every page._ ## US variant: CCPA and "Do Not Sell or Share" California works on an opt-out model, so the wording is different. Under the [CCPA and CPRA](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/laws/ccpa-cpra), a business that sells or shares personal data for cross-context advertising must offer a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link (or the alternative "Your Privacy Choices" link) and honour Global Privacy Control signals. A typical notice: _We use cookies and similar technologies for analytics and advertising. Some of this may count as "selling" or "sharing" personal information under California law. You can opt out at any time. \[Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information] \[Privacy policy]_ If you serve both the EU and the US, show the opt-in banner to European visitors and the opt-out notice to Californian ones, rather than one text that fits neither. ## Phrases to avoid in your banner - "By continuing to browse, you accept our use of cookies." - "We use cookies to give you the best experience" with no other purpose named. - "We value your privacy" followed by a single Accept button. - "Our 847 partners" with no way to see who they are. - Double negatives such as "Uncheck to not refuse". Each of these either equates silence with consent or hides the real purposes. Our article on [cookie dark patterns](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/cookie-dark-patterns-cnil-prohibited) lists the design tricks that come with them. ## Translate, do not just copy Consent must be informed in a language the visitor understands. A site with a French or German audience needs its banner in French or German, and the translation must say the same thing: same purposes, same partners, same button labels. Keep the banner, the preferences panel and the cookie policy aligned whenever you add a tool. ## How FlowConsent handles cookie banner text FlowConsent is one example of a consent banner where the text and the behaviour stay linked. The banner title and description are edited in the Builder, with a live preview, and the Translations tab manages each language (2 on the Free plan, 5 on Pro). The default buttons keep Accept and Reject equal, and scripts stay blocked until the visitor consents. The automatic cookie scan feeds the categories and the cookie declaration, so the preferences panel lists what your site actually sets. FlowConsent is free up to 25,000 sessions a month, then €14.99 per month on Pro up to 100,000 sessions, and installs in about ten minutes. See the [banner customisation guide](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/doc/banner-customization) to edit your texts. [Back to the blog](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog) Share this article · [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flowconsent.com%2Fen%2Fblog%2Fcookie-banner-text-templates) · [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flowconsent.com%2Fen%2Fblog%2Fcookie-banner-text-templates) Questions ## Common questions on this topic. Can't find your question? Write to us, we answer fast. [Write to us](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/demo) ### What should a cookie banner say? A cookie banner should state what the cookies are used for (analytics, advertising, embedded content), that third parties are involved, and that the visitor can accept, reject or choose by category. It should also explain how to change that choice later and link to the full cookie policy. Two or three plain sentences on the first layer are enough; the details go in a preferences panel. ### Is "by continuing to browse you accept cookies" still valid? No. The EDPB's guidelines on consent state that scrolling or continuing to browse is not a clear affirmative action, so it cannot count as consent under the GDPR. Regulators such as the CNIL and the AEPD apply the same reading. Your banner must wait for an explicit click on an accept button and must not set non-essential cookies before that click. ### Can I copy another website's cookie banner text? You can reuse the structure, but not the content as is. The text must describe the cookies your own site sets: its purposes, its tools and its partners. A copied text that mentions advertising you do not run misleads visitors, and one that omits a pixel you do run makes the consent invalid. Scan your site first, then adapt a template to what you find. ### Do I have to name every third party in the cookie banner? Not on the first layer. The first screen must say that third parties set cookies and make their full list available in one click, for example through a See our partners link or the preferences panel. The CJEU's Planet49 ruling requires the information to cover cookie duration and third-party access, so the detailed list, with each partner and purpose, belongs in the second layer and the cookie policy. ### Does the cookie banner have to be in the visitor's language? Consent must be informed, which means the visitor has to understand the text. A site aimed at French, German or Spanish speakers should therefore show its banner in those languages. Each translation must say the same thing as the original: same purposes, same partners and same button labels. Keep the banner, the preferences panel and the cookie policy aligned in every language. Read next ## Keep reading. [All articles](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog) [Best practices · 15 July 2026](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/gdpr-cookie-banner-examples-best-practices) ### [GDPR cookie banner examples: best practices and templates](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/gdpr-cookie-banner-examples-best-practices) [Compliant and non-compliant cookie banners analysed, with the layouts that work, the dark patterns regulators sanction, text templates and a full checklist.](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/gdpr-cookie-banner-examples-best-practices) [Read the article ](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/gdpr-cookie-banner-examples-best-practices)· [Platform guides · 5 March 2026](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/webflow-cookie-consent-gdpr-guide) ### [Webflow cookie consent: add a GDPR cookie banner step by step](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/webflow-cookie-consent-gdpr-guide) [Webflow does not block the scripts you add. Here is how to install a cookie banner that holds them until consent, avoid the Google Analytics trap and test the result.](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/webflow-cookie-consent-gdpr-guide) [Read the article ](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/webflow-cookie-consent-gdpr-guide)· [Best practices · 2 March 2026](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/cookie-banner-gdpr-compliance-guide) ### [Cookie banner: the complete GDPR compliance guide (2026)](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/cookie-banner-gdpr-compliance-guide) [Everything a GDPR-compliant cookie banner needs: the legal basis, what it must show, design rules against dark patterns, a step-by-step setup and a final checklist.](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/cookie-banner-gdpr-compliance-guide) [Read the article](https://www.flowconsent.com/en/blog/cookie-banner-gdpr-compliance-guide) ## Make your site compliant today. Free up to 25,000 sessions a month. No credit card, no commitment. 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