# How to Set Up a SharePoint Intranet for a Small Business

> For the full documentation index, see https://250highstreet.com/llms.txt

> Build a small business intranet in SharePoint: communication site, home page, navigation, news and the trackers people use every day. Steps and examples.

Start with one communication site as your home page, add simple navigation, and fill it with what staff use each day. You can grow it into hubs later.

## What is a SharePoint intranet?

A SharePoint intranet is a set of SharePoint sites that act as your company's internal website. Microsoft lists the building blocks as communication sites, a home site, hub sites, news, Viva Engage and Stream.

A small business can start with one communication site. A communication site is for informing a wide audience, with news, reports and status updates. A team site is for working with your team.

## What should you decide first?

Microsoft's planning guide tells you to understand your audience and think about governance early. Ask who the readers are and what they need to get done.

Small-team advice: write a short list of the five things staff look for most. Think of a phone list, policies, forms, news and the trackers they update. Build for that list.

## How do you build the home page?

Menu names can vary, so match them to your own screen. The Showcase and Blank templates are also available.

1.  Create a communication site. The Standard communication template is the default.
2.  Review what it includes: Hero, News, Events and Documents web parts.
3.  Select Edit in the top right to change the look, navigation and web parts.
4.  Select Save as draft to keep working, or Republish to show changes to viewers.
5.  Select Settings, then Site Permissions, then Share site. Choose Read, Edit or Full Control. Read is the default.

## How should you plan the navigation?

Microsoft describes three levels: global, hub and local. A small business mostly needs local navigation. On a communication site it sits at the top of the page.

Microsoft's example labels include Home, About Us, News, Policies and Procedures, and Locations. Pick labels your staff already use. Every navigation type is limited to 500 child links at each level.

Microsoft says modern SharePoint does not recommend subsites. Plan one site for each topic or unit of work, then connect sites with links or a hub.

## Do you need a home site or a hub?

Not on day one. A home site is a communication site you set as the intranet landing page. It searches across the whole intranet and enables global navigation. Microsoft notes that creating a Connections experience needs an Enterprise (E), Frontline (F) or Academic (A) license, and that you need SharePoint admin permissions.

A hub site groups related sites and shares navigation and branding. Small-team advice: add a hub when you have several sites for departments or regions.

## What should go on the intranet?

Microsoft says the best intranets help people get work done. Put the tools people use on the home page.

Examples from our guides: a [project tracker](/guides/sharepoint-project-tracker-example/), a [help desk tracker](/guides/help-desk-tracker-sharepoint/) and a [document approval](/guides/document-approval-sharepoint/) flow. You can also [send a Teams message from a list](/guides/teams-message-from-sharepoint-list/) so staff hear about changes.

## How do you keep it from going stale?

Microsoft warns that without a plan to govern it, an intranet can become a wasteland of information. Decide who owns each page and how often it is reviewed.

Start with one pilot, such as an HR or IT page. Microsoft advises picking one key scenario, launching it, and then moving to the next.

## Want a hand building it?

I am Al Davies at 250 High Street LLC. I build SharePoint and Power Automate trackers, remotely. A free first call is a good place to start. See the [portfolio](/portfolio/) for past work.

## FAQ

### Do I need a communication site or a team site?

For an intranet home page, a communication site. Microsoft describes it as a place to inform a wide audience.

### Do small businesses need a home site?

Not at first. A home site adds intranet-wide search and global navigation. It needs SharePoint admin permissions.

### Can I use subsites?

Microsoft does not recommend them in modern SharePoint. Use one site per topic and connect them.

## Sources

- [Microsoft Learn: Plan an intelligent SharePoint intranet](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/plan-intranet)
- [Microsoft Learn: Plan, build, and launch a SharePoint home site](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/homesites/sharepoint-app-in-teams-plan)
- [Microsoft Learn: Introduction to SharePoint information architecture](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/information-architecture-modern-experience)
- [Microsoft Support: What is a SharePoint communication site?](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-is-a-communication-site-in-sharepoint-94a33429-e580-45c3-a090-5512a8070732)

## Related guides

- [SharePoint project tracker examples, with a live demo](/guides/sharepoint-project-tracker-example/)
- [Help desk ticket tracker in a SharePoint list](/guides/help-desk-tracker-sharepoint/)
- [Document approval in SharePoint: built-in approval or a flow?](/guides/document-approval-sharepoint/)
- [Post to Teams when a SharePoint list item changes](/guides/teams-message-from-sharepoint-list/)

Source: https://250highstreet.com/guides/sharepoint-intranet-small-business/