Death of the Cookieless Future: What Google's Latest Move Means for SEO Professionals

Google has long touted a future of enhanced privacy—a world without cookies. The tech giant introduced several ambitious yet ultimately fruitless initiatives to replace cookies, including Privacy Sandbox, FLoC, and Topics (anyone remember those?).

Throughout this saga, stakeholders such as advertisers, tech experts, and regulators like the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have voiced strong objections, albeit for varied reasons.

Google might’ve finally kneeled…

THE COOKIELESS FUTURE WE’VE BEEN PROMISED IS NOT COMING

A Few Days Ago Though, News Broke About the Same Topic. And It’s Not What You Think…

Instead of a nudge from Google reminding us, once more, to prepare ourselves for the inevitable future, we got a shocking post announcing the death of the unbirthed calcified baby…

What Did Google Actually Say in the Blog Post about the future of cookies ?

They have been facing backlash from everyone. For different reasons…
Throughout this process… we’ve received feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders… This feedback has helped us craft solutions that aim to support a competitive and thriving marketplace that works for publishers and advertisers, and encourage the adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies.
There was no middle ground
We recognize this transition requires significant work by many participants and will have an impact on publishers, advertisers, and everyone involved in online advertising.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority finally gave the final blow
As we move to phase out third-party cookies, we will work closely with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to ensure that this transition is conducted in a way that ensures the competition in digital advertising remains fair and open.

What does this mean for SEOs, marketers, and advertisers?

First off, we can breathe easy. Or can we?
Sure, we suspected the cookieless future might be a mirage. Google's missed deadlines made us doubt it even more...
Privacy isn't just a trend—it's here to stay. Apple and regulators are making sure of that. Google needs a solid plan to balance privacy and its business model.
The battle isn't over. Google's still working on its SGE SERP. Stay tuned for what's next...

For more information about the news, check out this article from Morning Brew on how Google is leaving the fate of cookies up to users. What now?