Mobile conversion rate down since Mobile site launch

[ffctas]

Since we launched a mobile version of our site our conversion rate is down significantly compared to what it was when the full desktop site was served to mobile users. The rate rate for tablet and phones is down about the same. Obviously customers do not like our mobile pages.

I would prefer to keep serving our full site but don't want to suffer a loss of rankings in a mobile environment.

How should we design our mobile site so that it is as efficient as it once was?

Thanks

[chrisv1963]

How should we design our mobile site so that it is as efficient as it once was?

This says a lot about the quality of Google's "mobile friendly" algo. You can not let a machine decide about what is good for users or not. You have to measure mobile users' behavior and THEN rank sites accordingly and not rank them as "mobile friendly" because a font is "large enough", "enough space between buttons" and all sorts of other crap. I'm afraid that after Panda Google did it again ...

[ffctas]

I guess the real question I want to ask is what kind of change in conversion rates were seen when a site was changed to mobile friendly. Do the benefits of mobile friendly search outweigh potential decrease in conversion rates?

[rish3]

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you were previously (prior to the update) competing with several sites that had a terrible mobile experience, you had an advantage. Post update, your competitors might be taking some sales away from you.

Might be worth seeing if conversion is only lower for organic referred traffic, which might confirm that.

[chrisv1963]

Do the benefits of mobile friendly search outweigh potential decrease in conversion rates?

In my case it does not. I have mobile friendly versions of my most important pages now. The result (for my mobile visitors) is a higher bounce rate, less page views per visitor and lower conversions. Google is happy ... but my visitors aren't. They used to be happy but Google decided that they are no longer allowed to see and be happy with "non mobile friendly" pages.

[netmeg]

Since we launched a mobile version of our site our conversion rate is down significantly compared to what it was when the full desktop site was served to mobile users.

Over what period of time? How long has it been since you launched mobile friendly?

[ffctas]

We launched mobile version of 4/21

[webcentric]

We launched mobile version of 4/21

That's a pretty small window of time since you launched v1 of your mobile site. Consider the fact that you may have to tweak it a number of times to find the sweet spot for conversions. Just as with the desktop environment, we learn through experimentation and feedback. It may be a simple matter of letting go of concepts that worked in the old environment so you can learn what is most effective in your new responsive version.

[netmeg]

We launched mobile version of 4/21

That's what I was afraid of. I would give it at LEAST a month before making any rash changes.

[ffctas]

Thanks guys, we will give it some more time.