Google announced late last month that it no longer has plans to do away with third-party cookies in its Chrome web browser. This announcement came after four years of work by the search engine giant to create a new solution that allows for tracking and measurement while improving users’ privacy.
Instead of pivoting from cookies to its Privacy Sandbox API, Google said in a blog post that it proposes a new approach that “elevates user choice.”
“Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time,” Privacy Sandbox VP Anthony Chavez explained in the post. No other details of this new solution or a timeline for its release were included in the announcement.
While the move to focus on personal choice instead of deprecating cookies may seem surprising after four years of work, it doesn’t come as a shock if you remember that 80% of Google’s revenue comes from online advertising. And despite accepting user feedback and trying to create solutions that “support a competitive and thriving marketplace,” in the end, those vital advertisers just weren’t impressed with Privacy Sandbox.
While Google’s new focus on user choice may be an attempt to make the best of a bad situation, it still raises the question of whether it will eventually develop something new to replace third-party cookies.
Would a new solution look different from this attempt? Or is the potential wrath of advertisers enough for Google to stay away and keep cookies in place for the foreseeable future?
What does it mean for healthcare marketing?
For now, Google’s announcement to stick with third-party cookies shouldn’t change anything about your marketing strategy. Everything will remain status quo until we hear more about this “new experience.”
What this move does call into question is how Google and other tech companies like Microsoft will handle their efforts to incorporate artificial intelligence solutions into their search engines.
The rollout of features like Google’s AI Overview hasn’t been a resounding success so far (today, AI Overviews only show for about 7-8% of searches, compared to 64% when the feature first launched in 2023). The efforts tech companies have made to incorporate AI into their search engines may look very different — or cease to exist entirely — if they don’t raise market value enough.
Our advice? Keep focusing on the fundamentals of good content that will continue to drive ROI across paid and organic strategies. Don’t ditch AI entirely, but use it as a tool when a project calls for it instead of putting all of your eggs in the AI search basket.
As for advertising and analytics, in the healthcare world, your efforts should still be on gathering valuable consumer data in a way that doesn’t run afoul of HIPAA regulations. You can stay tuned to the Geonetric blog for HIPAA updates and other useful healthcare marketing tips, or check out our Geonetric Privacy Filter to supercharge your marketing efforts with compliant analytics.