What are domain groups and how should I use them? – Cookiebot Support

1. What is a domain group?

A domain group is – as the name indicates – a group in the backend Manager that can be used to add one or more domains or subdomains to.

Domains that are added to the same domain group ‘behave’ in the same way.

They will share the same CBID (‘Cookiebot Identifier, which is the serial number that is included in the script. Each domain group has a unique CBID), use the same cookie consent banner template, the same logo, the same styling of the banner etc.

Also, it is possible to use ‘Cross-domain Consent Sharing’ for all the domains and subdomains within one domain group to ensure that a website visitor is asked for a joint consent covering all the domains/subdomains only the first time he visits one of those domains (please see Cross-domain Consent Sharing for more information about Cross-domain Consent Sharing).

We recommend that you have (at least) one separate domain group for each of your customers.

Please note that if you sign up customers under the wholesale model, you should make a domain group for each customer. If you want to set up everything first (wholesale model) and then invite the customer to take ownership of the domain group (so it becomes retail model) then you can also create a domain group and do this. If you would like to sign up customers under the retail model, there is no need for you to create a domain group - invite the customer and then get access to his domain group(s).

See also Do I have to set up domain groups on my reseller account if I want my customers to be on the ‘retail model’? and Reseller introduction: How do I onboard customers under the 'retail' and the 'wholesale' model? for details about how to sign up customers under the two reseller models.

2. How do I create a new domain group?

Log in to your reseller account via the Cookiebot manager. Click on the button on the upper right-hand side to create a new domain group:

Choose a name for the domain group (for example the company name of your customer).

Then, choose if the domain(s) in the domain group should be

Free 1-month trial (see What types of subscriptions can I create for my customers? in the article here:Introduction-How-do-I-onboard-customers-under-the-retail-and-the-wholesale-model-)
Premium subscription
Free subscription (please note that restrictions/conditions apply – see Is-the-Free-subscription-GDPR-compliant-If-yes-what-is-the-difference-between-the-free-subscription-and-the-premium-subscription-).

Finally, choose if the domain group should have the standard configuration – or if you want to copy the configuration from an existing domain group. This could be useful if you want to make use e.g. of the same banner template, position and layout as you have for one of your existing domain groups. Then, click "ok" to create the domain group.

3. Can domains in the same domain group have different types of subscriptions?

Free:

There is a maximum of 1 domain on the free subscription. This is because our free subscription was intended for smaller customers with maximum 1 domain and no need for many of the customization features that the premium plan contain. Therefore, if you create a domain group and choose ‘free plan’ you can only add 1 domain to the domain group.

Example: If one of your customers has 2 domains, one with fewer than 100 pages (that qualifies for the free subscription) and one with more than 100 pages, then you should create a domain group with ‘premium plan’ and both of these domains will be charged for a premium subscription based on each of their number of subpages.

Free 1-month trial:

It is not possible to combine ‘premium plan’ and ‘free 1-month trial’ on the same domain group. If you would like to offer your customer to try Cookiebot for free for 1 month, create a domain group and add a domain. When the trial expires (or before), if the customer is happy with Cookiebot and with your services, you can easily convert the trial domain group to a premium subscription and you will not have to create a new domain group (see What should I do when a free 1-month trial expires? How do I convert a free 1-month trial to a premium subscription? in the article here: Introduction-How-do-I-onboard-customers-under-the-retail-and-the-wholesale-model-).

Premium:

Please note that domain groups under ‘premium plan’ can contain different premium subscriptions. Because the subscription price is automatically determined by the number of subpages on each domain or subdomain, it is possible to have a mix of Premium Small, Premium Medium and Premium Large subscriptions in one domain group.

4. How can I change the name of a domain group?

You can edit the name of an existing domain group by clicking the button on the upper right-hand side.

Edit the name and click ok to save your changes.

5. How can I delete a domain group?

To delete a domain group, click the button on the upper right-hand side.

Please note that you will lose all data (including logged consents, consent statistics and scan reports), styling and configuration. None of this can be retrieved if you regret deleting the domain group.

6. Do I pay per domain group?

How many domain groups you have on your reseller account has no influence on the pricing. Subscriptions are charged per domain or per subdomain and set by the number of subpages on each domain. How many domain groups you have is not relevant.

7. Can you disable the ‘free subscription’ so my customers (retail model) can only sign up to paid subscriptions?

Many of our resellers make use of the free plan/free subscription. Some do so to offer an extra (free) service to their existing and new customers – without a financial gain. Others (under the wholesale model) do so because they include it in a package solution (perhaps including a support hotline or implementation for the customer) and charge a joint package price.

We cannot disable the free subscription option but you can encourage your customers to get the premium plan by highlighting the extra options and features that they will get from a premium subscription (see Is-the-Free-subscription-GDPR-compliant-If-yes-what-is-the-difference-between-the-free-subscription-and-the-premium-subscription- for details).

8. Example case: My customer has 2 different domains – one in German and one in English. Should they be put in the same domain group or in separate domain groups?

Domains that are added to the same domain group ‘behave’ in the same way and also share the same scripts.

Also, it is possible to use ‘Cross-domain Consent Sharing’ for all the domains and subdomains within one domain group to ensure that a website visitor is asked for a joint consent covering all the domains/subdomains only the first time he visits one of those domains. For more information about domain groups, see point 1 in our guide on how to work with domain groups for your different customers.

So you have two options:

1. You can add both the two domains to the same domain group. That way they will share the same script and behave in the same way. Under the tab ‘content’ you can choose to add the banner in 2 languages – German and English. That way, German users (based on IP address) would see the banner text in German and everyone else would see it in English.

2. You can add the German domain to one domain group and the English domain to another domain group. This has no impact on the pricing since you pay per domain and per subdomain - and not related to the number of domain groups. Then, each domain will be able to behave in a different way – for example have its own logo on the cookie consent banner, have different wording in the banner, use 2 different types of cookie consent banner template or have different colors etc.