Tracking modes

Cookieless or full tracking, your choice.

Otus gives you two ways to measure each site. Cookieless mode stores nothing in your visitors' browsers, so in most EU countries you don't need a cookie banner for analytics. Full tracking mode adds returning visitors and attribution across visits for everyone who says yes to cookies, and keeps counting everyone who doesn't.

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Cookieless mode

Accurate data without cookies or a banner.

Nothing stored

No cookies and no local storage, nothing in your visitors' browsers. Each visitor gets an anonymous identifier that changes every day and is different on every site.

No cookie banner for analytics

Because nothing is stored on the device, in most EU countries you don't need a cookie banner for analytics in this mode.

Every visitor counted

Nobody has to click accept, so you see all of your traffic, not just the visitors who said yes.

A visit ends after 30 minutes without activity, and the anonymous identifier resets every day. That's what keeps this mode private, and it's also why it can't recognise returning visitors.

Full tracking mode

Full attribution, once visitors say yes.

Returning visitors

Recognise visitors who come back, so you can see retention and loyalty over time.

Attribution across visits

Follow the path from a first visit to a sign-up or purchase days later, and credit the campaign that started it.

Visitors who say no still count

Anyone who declines is counted anonymously, the same way as in cookieless mode. Rather not? Only load Otus after a yes.

Full tracking mode only stores a first-party cookie and a visitor ID in the browser after a visitor says yes, and only on your own domain. No third-party cookies and no tracking across sites. This mode needs a consent banner. Otus doesn't include one, but works with any consent banner that supports Google Consent Mode.

Compare the modes

Which mode fits your site?

The choice mostly comes down to one question: do you need to recognise visitors who come back, or follow them across visits to a sale? If you do, choose full tracking. If not, cookieless mode gives you everything else without a cookie banner.

Feature	Cookieless	Full tracking
Stored in the browser	Nothing	A first-party cookie and a visitor ID, after a yes
Cookie banner for analytics	Not needed in most EU countries	Needed
Visitors counted	Everyone	Everyone; those who say no are counted anonymously
Returning visitors	No	Yes, for visitors who said yes
Attribution across visits	Within one visit	Across visits, for visitors who said yes
Conversion forwarding	Within the same visit	Within each ad platform's conversion window

FAQ

Questions about tracking modes.

Can't find your answer? Reach us at info@otusanalytics.com.

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