How to plan a SharePoint intranet people will use
Most intranets fail after launch, not before. People stop visiting when the content is old, the search is poor or no one owns the pages. This guide covers the planning choices that keep an intranet alive: purpose, ownership, structure, search, governance and measurement.
The short version
Six decisions that decide the outcome
Make these six choices on paper before any design work starts.
- Pick a clear purposeNews, policies, tools, people directory, or all of them. A clear purpose guides every choice.
- Name content ownersEvery section has an owner who keeps it current. No owner means no intranet in a year.
- Plan the structureOrganise by what people want to do, not by your org chart.
- Make search workGood titles, metadata and permissions make search useful. Test it with real questions.
- Plan governanceWho can create sites, who approves content and how old content is retired.
- Measure and improveCheck what people use, ask what is missing and fix it in small steps.
The structure
How an intranet is usually organised
One home page, a site for each team that owns content, and the same layout everywhere.
- A named owner for each site
- The same layout in every site
- Search and permissions across all of it
Quick enquiry
Planning an intranet? Talk to us.
What to settle before design
Answers here prevent rework later.
Who is it for?
All employees, office staff, field workers, or partners. Mobile use matters for field teams.
What should people do there?
Find a policy, book a room, submit a request, read news, find a colleague. List the top tasks.
What content exists today?
Audit pages, documents and forms. Decide what moves, what is rewritten and what is retired.
Who will keep it up to date?
Named owners with time to do it, and a simple way to publish.
What else must connect?
HR systems, Teams, forms, approvals and business apps. Plan these links early.
How will we know it works?
Choose a few measures, such as visits, search success and requests handled.
An intranet project, step by step
A staged approach lets people see progress and shape the result.
- 1
Discover
Talk to users and owners, review content and agree purpose and top tasks.
- 2
Design the structure
Plan hubs, navigation, page templates and permissions around the top tasks.
- 3
Prototype
Build a working first version of the home page and one section. Test it with real users.
- 4
Build and migrate content
Build the sections, move or rewrite content and connect forms and workflows.
- 5
Launch with training
Train owners and staff, announce the launch and have support ready.
- 6
Review and improve
Check use, retire stale pages and add what people ask for.
Custom intranet, ready-made product or intranet-as-a-service?
Options differ in speed, control and cost to change.
| Route | Best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-the-box SharePoint | Your needs are simple and a small team can set it up. | Design and structure drift without clear standards. |
| Ready-made intranet product | You want a proven structure on SharePoint quickly and can fit your process to it. | Ask what can be customised, and where your data lives. |
| Custom SharePoint intranet | You have specific branding, integrations or processes. | Scope growth. Keep a written change process. |
Why intranets fail
Designed by org chart
People look for tasks, not departments.
No content ownership
Pages go stale and visitors stop trusting the site.
Weak search
If people cannot find things, they email instead.
Too much at launch
Launch with the most useful sections, then grow.
Ignoring mobile and field teams
Teams outside an office need a phone-friendly experience.
No review after launch
Intranets need steady care. Plan it from day one.
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