If you use the internet, there’s a good chance you’ve at some point thought, “What are cookies?” and no, we don’t mean the chocolate chip kind.
Cookies are pieces of information that your web browser saves to your computer when you visit a website.
Think of cookies as a kind of digital ID. When you return to a website, it reads the cookies from your last visit and recognises certain information.
The information each website retains and how it uses it depend on the website itself, the cookies in place, and your permissions.
What are Essential Cookies?
Most websites use what are called essential cookies. These help a website function properly and improve your experience when using it.
Essential cookies are used to remember things like your login details, what you’ve added to your basket, or your preferences.
Without essential cookies, you might find yourself being logged out every time you move between pages, losing items from your basket (the worst!), or having to reset your preferences each time you visit.
In some cases, key features such as forms, secure areas, or checkout processes may not work without essential cookies, making the website difficult or even impossible to use.
What are Analytical Cookies?
Analytical cookies collect information that helps website owners understand how their websites are being used. For example, how many people are visiting, how they found the website, which pages they view, and what they click.
These insights help businesses refine and improve their websites, making them easier for users to navigate.
What are Advertising Cookies?
Advertising cookies are used to deliver relevant, personalised adverts.
If you’ve ever looked at a product on one website and then seen it pop up on another, that’s not magic; it’s advertising cookies at work. They track your browsing behaviour across sites to paint a picture of your interests and suggest things you might like.
Smart cookies, eh?
Should I Accept Cookies?
You’ll usually be given options such as “accept all”, “reject all”, or “essential only”, allowing you to choose which cookies you’re comfortable with.
This can be confusing, leaving you asking, “Should I accept cookies?” Here’s what it all means.
Accepting all cookies means that the website can gather insights into how you use it and tailor your experience, from remembering your preferences to showing you relevant content and adverts.
When you decline cookies, your experience may be more limited; things like saved preferences, personalised content, or certain features may not work.
From a business perspective, it also means less data for the website owner to understand and improve the website’s performance and user experience.
Because cookies can collect and store personal data, their use is regulated by strict laws, particularly in the UK and EU under GDPR, which means that any website using cookies beyond essential ones must ask for your permission before doing so.
That’s why almost every website you visit now gives you the option to accept or decline cookies. It’s about transparency, control, and giving users a say in how their data is used.
From a business perspective, cookies aren’t just a technical necessity; when used correctly and responsibly, they’re a key part of creating a better, more informed user experience.
“Should I accept cookies?” can be a site-specific question; look at how much you trust the brand and how seamless you need your browsing experience to be.
For example, you might want to accept all cookies on your favourite online clothing shop. You trust them, you visit the website often, and frankly, life is too short to try to find the shoes that were in your basket again because you accidentally closed the tab.
On the flip side, you might want to choose “essential only” or reject cookies altogether on a random pop culture news site you got to via a social media link. If you’re just dropping in to find out about that celebrity feud and probably won’t return, there’s no real benefit to letting the website track your digital footprints.
