If you're in a country with privacy laws about cookies, then you may worry about Google Analytics. I'm based in the UK, and I was worried about Google Analytics.
One way to address Google Analytics' (GA's) use of cookies is to install a consent tool on your website (the grander offerings are often labelled 'cookie management platforms'). The idea is that the user says 'yes' or 'no' to the cookies used for GA.
Here's an example from the University of Plymouth in the UK:
A number of companies offer consent tools. Here are four I've seen in use on UK websites, with examples of them installed.
Inclusion isn't a recommendation. These four have different offerings and prices. You should test a consent tool works before you put it live.
Cookie Control
CIVIC's Cookie Control is used by the ICO (the UK privacy regulator). When I first installed a cookie consent tool, that provided extra reassurance to me. I'd be less cautious these days.
Some examples of Cookie Control:
Cookiebot
I like the design of Usercentrics' Cookiebot. Maybe that's just me.
Some examples of Cookiebot in the wild:
CookieYes
I've seen CookieYes less than the others on this list. Perhaps it's a newer contender?
Some examples of CookieYes in action:
OneTrust
OneTrust are the most common example I've seen for medium-sized and large organisations.
At the time of writing, the digital agency Torchbox have said that a number of their clients have been hit with a big increase in charging. You may want to check their blog post before considering OneTrust.
Some examples of this consent tool:
There you have it: four cookie consent tools you could use to deploy Google Analytics. There are numerous others, but these are the most common that I've seen.
More Google Analytics posts
Privacy part 1 - where the data goes in Google Analytics 4
Can Google Analytics help us measure user satisfaction?