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Card class: Non-HeroCategory: Website Performance

At a glance

Per-template Mobile vs Desktop score comparison, surfaces the device gap broken out by page type (homepage, PDP, collection, cart, checkout, etc.). Different templates carry different mobile-vs-desktop gap patterns; this card lets the merchant identify which templates need targeted mobile work. Pairs with psi_mobile_vs_desktop_score which gives the site-weighted aggregate; this card decomposes by template.
What it countsPer-template Lighthouse Performance Score for both mobile and desktop profiles, with the gap. Each template represented by its representative URL (e.g. homepage → /, PDP → top-traffic product page, collection → top-traffic category).
Sample typeLab data from per-template Lighthouse audits, two runs each (one per device profile).
Why per-template mattersSite-weighted aggregate hides which templates are dragging the average. A homepage with 22 percent traffic and a 35-point device gap drives more of the aggregate than 50 tail product pages with a 20-point gap. The per-template view surfaces optimisation priorities.
Reading the per-template view(1) Identify worst-gap templates: typically homepage, collection, top PDPs. (2) Cross-reference with traffic share: high-gap × high-traffic = priority focus. (3) Apply template-level fixes: image responsive variants on hero templates; widget refactors on collection templates; etc.
Currencyn/a, score values + delta.
Time windowT/7D
Alert triggerworst-template gap > 40 points.
Sentiment keynull (comparison view).
Rolesowner, marketing, operations

Calculation

Calculated automatically from your Website Performance (PageSpeed + CrUX) data. See the At a glance summary above for what the metric tracks and the worked example below for a typical reading.

Worked example

A UK-based BigCommerce fashion store, per-template comparison Wednesday 15 May 26.
Page templateMobile scoreDesktop scoreGapTraffic shareGap × traffic
Homepage42763422%7.5
Product detail page58822425%6.0
Collection page48793128%8.7
Cart6288268%2.1
Checkout step 17192214%0.8
Checkout step 27392194%0.8
About / contact6890221%0.2
Search results5480268%2.1
What the per-template view is telling us:
  1. Collection page has the highest gap × traffic score (8.7). Despite homepage having the largest gap, collection has higher traffic share, making it the highest-leverage optimisation target. Fix collection page first.
  2. The optimisation priority by gap × traffic:
    • Collection page (8.7): filter widget refactor + responsive images on grid items
    • Homepage (7.5): hero image responsive variants
    • PDP (6.0): hero image responsive variants
    • Cart, search results (2.1 each): low priority
    • Checkout, about (sub-1.0): no work needed
  3. Same fix-pattern across templates for image-heavy pages: responsive image variants via srcset, image format conversion, preload critical images. One workflow addresses homepage + PDP + collection-page-grid simultaneously.
  4. Collection page additional work: filter widget refactor (covered in psi_mobile_desktop_inp playbook). The mobile-specific INP issue compounds with the LCP issue on collection.
  5. Realistic post-optimisation forecast for the worst-3 templates:
    • Collection: mobile 48 → 70 (gap from 31 → 9)
    • Homepage: mobile 42 → 65 (gap from 34 → 11)
    • PDP: mobile 58 → 75 (gap from 24 → 7)
    • Site-weighted mobile score: 51 → 68
  6. Reading the trio with psi_mobile_desktop_lcp, psi_mobile_desktop_inp, psi_mobile_desktop_cls decomposes which sub-metric drives each template’s gap. Collection’s gap is INP-dominated; homepage’s is LCP-dominated. Different fix focus per template.
The diagnostic flow:
  1. Sort templates by gap × traffic.
  2. Decompose dominant template gaps by sub-metric using the per-CWV device-gap cards.
  3. Apply template-level fixes: each template’s fix benefits all URLs sharing the template.
  4. Re-audit to confirm gap reduction.
Rapid-response playbook:
Time horizonAction
First 1 hourSort by gap × traffic; identify priority templates.
First weekApply highest-leverage template fix.
Day 28Field metrics reflect changes.

Sibling cards merchants should reference together

CardWhy merchants reach for it
psi_mobile_vs_desktop_scoreSite-weighted aggregate; this card decomposes by template.
psi_mobile_desktop_lcpLCP gap; cross-reference for sub-metric driver.
psi_mobile_desktop_inpINP gap.
psi_mobile_desktop_clsCLS gap.
psi_score_by_templateScore per template (mobile-only).
psi_lcp_by_templatePer-template LCP.
psi_image_optimisationCommon template-level fix.

Reconciling against the vendor’s own dashboard

Where to look:
  • PageSpeed Insights, paste each template’s representative URL; toggle Mobile/Desktop tabs.
  • Lighthouse CI, runs per-URL audits in build pipeline.
Why the Vortex IQ per-template comparison may differ from manual PSI checks:
ReasonDirectionWhat to do
Template-representative URL choice. Vortex IQ uses configured representative URLs; manual checks may use different URLs.VariableConfirm same URL used.
Run-to-run variance. Each device profile fluctuates ±10-20%.Either directionUse 7-day rolling.
Cross-connector reconciliation: primarily internal (with the per-CWV device-gap cards and per-URL ranking cards). Quick rule for support tickets: the gap × traffic ranking is the actionable view. Don’t optimise the template with the largest gap if its traffic share is small; optimise the template with the largest gap × traffic product.

Known limitations / merchant FAQs

Should I optimise the template with the largest gap or the largest gap × traffic? Largest gap × traffic. The product determines commercial impact: a 35-point gap on a low-traffic page affects fewer users than a 24-point gap on a high-traffic page. Why does collection page have a larger gap than homepage? Filter widget JS. Collection pages run mobile-specific filter logic that desktop doesn’t trigger (desktop usually has always-visible filter sidebar). The mobile-only widget compounds the structural CPU gap. Will fixing one template improve other templates? Some patterns transfer. Image optimisation in the homepage hero often re-uses the same image-CDN config that benefits PDP and collection images. Filter widget refactor benefits all collection pages simultaneously. Template fixes have multiplier effects. Can Vortex IQ tell me which sub-metric drives each template’s gap? Yes; cross-reference with psi_mobile_desktop_lcp, psi_mobile_desktop_inp, psi_mobile_desktop_cls. Each surfaces the per-template breakdown for its sub-metric.

Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre

Overall Score: Mobile vs Desktop is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across Website Performance (PageSpeed + CrUX) and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English. Start for free or book a demo to see this metric running on your own data.