The Service: Consent Management for Client Websites
Website compliance is a persistent client concern. As a web or ecommerce agency, you can address this by offering a structured consent management service. This goes beyond a one-time banner installation. It involves an initial setup, followed by a monthly retainer for ongoing maintenance and reporting. This provides clients with operational support for their cookie policies, and it creates a new source of recurring revenue for your agency.
The service consists of two parts. First, the project phase: auditing the client's site for all tracking scripts, configuring a consent tool, and deploying it correctly. Second, the retainer phase: periodically scanning for new scripts, updating configurations, and providing the client with clear reports. Packaging this service demonstrates technical diligence and adds tangible value to your standard website care plans, moving the conversation from a technical task to a managed professional service.
How AutoCookies is Designed to Deliver This Service
AutoCookies is a planned software tool designed to be the engine for an agency-delivered consent management service. The intended workflow begins with assessing a client’s website to identify cookies and trackers. The tool is then used to configure and deploy a consent solution based on that audit. The core function is to provide a systematic way to manage this process across multiple client sites.
A key design principle is to support ongoing maintenance. The system is being developed to facilitate regular site checks, helping you identify and categorise new scripts that clients or their marketing tools may add over time. It is important to note that while AutoCookies is designed to support good practice in consent management, its use does not provide or imply a legal guarantee of compliance. It is a technical tool for implementing a client's defined policy.
Differentiating Setup from Ongoing Management
Clearly defining the scope of your consent management service helps in pricing and client communication. The initial setup should be treated as a self-contained project. This includes the technical audit of all first- and third-party scripts, collaborative rule-setting with the client, configuration of the consent banner, and deployment on the live environment. This is a one-off task with a distinct start and end, typically priced with a setup fee.
Ongoing management is a recurring service, suitable for a monthly retainer. This work covers scheduled site scans to detect new cookies, updates to the configuration to categorise them, and providing the client with a concise monthly report. This continuous oversight ensures the consent tool remains accurate as the client's website evolves. It positions your agency as a proactive partner, managing a critical aspect of the client’s digital operations rather than just a static tool provider.
Illustrative Service Package: Consent Care Plan
An agency could structure a 'Consent Care Plan' as an add-on to existing website maintenance retainers. The initial setup project would be scoped and priced separately. The ongoing plan would then provide a defined set of monthly activities. This productised approach makes the service easy for clients to understand and for your agency to sell and deliver consistently.
For example, the monthly plan could include one scheduled website scan, categorisation of up to a certain number of new scripts discovered, and a summary report on consent activity. Any major changes, such as the addition of a new marketing platform with numerous scripts, could be handled as a small, separate project. This model provides cost certainty for the client while protecting your agency from scope creep. The ability to rebrand or white-label reporting and other features is discussed on a product-by-product basis.
Availability and Next Steps
AutoCookies is currently in the development phase and is not yet publicly available. We are building the product with agency workflows in mind, focusing on creating a tool that enables you to deliver a robust consent management service efficiently across your client base. Integration capabilities, such as plugins or APIs, are part of this planning process but are not advertised at this stage.
We invite web and ecommerce agencies to register their interest in AutoCookies. By joining our list, you will be among the first to receive updates on development progress and opportunities to discuss the product's application for your business. This conversation helps us build a more effective tool and allows your agency to plan for the introduction of a valuable new client service.