How To Make Great Intranet Homepages: Best Practice Tips From The Experts

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Aug 21, 2023

The intranet homepage is the window into your entire site. It’s the first thing staff see when they log in and kickstarts the working day. You want the homepage to capture their imaginations and showcase all the apps and tools employees need. Get it right, and your people will keep coming back for more. Get it wrong, and your intranet software will struggle to gain traction.

Intranet homepage design is the key to unlocking employee experience and user adoption. The stakes are high. And there’s a lot to think about. You have to make decisions about intranet design, functions, and employee needs.

However, help is at hand with our best practice guide. Use our expert tips to ensure your organization has a great intranet homepage that adds value. Today’s post is essential reading whether you are designing a new intranet or planning an intranet redesign.

What Is The Purpose Of The Company Intranet?

Before you dive into your intranet homepage design, there’s an important question you need to ask: What is the purpose of my company’s intranet?

No two company intranets are exactly the same. Sure, there are common elements, but much depends on the intranet’s purpose. A clear understanding of objectives will help you nail the design. It’s tempting to include a bit of everything on the company homepage. Drilling down into what’s really important ensures your intranet adds value and meets employees’ needs.

Say your primary purpose is internal communications and employee engagement. Social features, company news, and employee profiles will be center stage on the intranet homepage.

However, if you want the intranet to facilitate collaboration, the homepage will have a different look. Collaboration tools that connect employees will be in the spotlight.

Once your primary objectives are locked in, the design process falls into place much easier.

What Is An Intranet Landing Page?

The intranet homepage is what employees see when they log in. And it has a lot of power, making it a business-critical tool. It serves a range of purposes, including the following:

Gateway To The Digital Workplace

Intranet homepages are the gateway to all the enterprise apps and tools employees access daily. Single sign-on means your intranet integrates with other workplace platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Salesforce. And it’s also the central hub for finding internal knowledge and information.

Company News Feed

It’s also where staff go to find out the latest company news. Critical news alerts and important announcements are usually showcased on the intranet homepage.

Intranet Navigation

The homepage serves as a navigation hub for the entire site. A global navigation bar and search function helps employees find key information quickly and easily.

Intranet Home Page Content

It’s a springboard to internal knowledge, information, and tools, whether corporate, team, or department based.

Widget Launch Pad

Widgets are handy shortcuts providing access to the most popular information or features. However, too many widgets can overwhelm users. Stick to top-performing intranet content. Or consider aggregating widgets by themes, like news alerts or notifications.

Build Your Employer Brand

Just as your website is the company’s public face, your intranet is the internal version. Intranet homepages go a long way to determining your employer brand and setting the user experience. Be sure to include your company logo so the intranet design is instantly recognizable as part of your brand.

what-is-a-digital-workplace

What’s The Best Intranet Homepage Design?

While there’s no one-size-fits-all intranet homepage, there are some guiding principles that all the best designs have in spades. Use the following tips to guide your intranet design.

Simplicity

Keep it simple. When it comes to intranet design, simplicity is your best friend. Make it clean, straightforward, and uncluttered. That way, you enable employees to find what they need when they need it.

Consistency

Just as important is consistency. A consistent page layout from the homepage right through to team pages keeps employees engaged. They know what to expect, creating an enhanced user experience. Plus, intranet navigation is more straightforward when pages have a similar look and feel.

Signposting And Navigation

The intranet homepage is the launching pad for the digital workplace. However, employees are looking for quick access to the tools they need the most. Mega menus and quick links to relevant content are valuable navigation tools. Use them to point people in the direction of more resources. Incorporate advanced search features and display the intranet search function prominently.

Inspiring Visual Design

Your homepage design should draw employees in with an eye-catching visual display. Why not have a media gallery with images of staff? Don’t be afraid to use vibrant colors and mixed media like videos, photos, and diagrams. Text-heavy content can turn users off, so mix it up with bright visuals.

Mobile Intranet

In today’s digital workplace, a mobile intranet is mission-critical. Remote and hybrid working are now standard. You want to ensure your staff can use their mobile devices to access the intranet. So, regardless of the employee’s location, they can maintain productivity.

Nowadays, your intranet homepage must be mobile-responsive if you want to boost productivity for all workers. Test drive your intranet homepage on a mobile device before you go live.

mobile-intranet

What Should Be On The Homepage Of A Company Intranet?

The details will vary depending on the organization and the objectives set for the company intranet. Regardless, there are some must-haves that every company homepage needs to drive employee engagement while addressing business problems.

Empower employees by giving them quick access to the business processes that affect them the most. These include the following:

  • Quick links to popular apps and tools
  • Staff directory
  • Social intranet
  • Training materials
  • Company news feed and team updates
  • Collaboration tools
  • Feedback form
  • Internal communications, including instant messaging
  • Robust search engine

How Do I Set Up An Intranet Home Page?

Setting up an intranet homepage can be done in several ways, depending on your platform and the tools you use.

You can design a company intranet using software like SharePoint Online or WordPress. These options are readily accessible and free to download. Although that’s tempting, it’s vital that you do your research. Many average users find SharePoint Online and WordPress tricky to work with. Getting the most out of the software requires technical skills. Furthermore, many companies find the free offering has to be supplemented with add-ons and plug-ins. Often, these come with a price tag.

Alternatively, providers like MyHub use customizable intranet templates. Upload content, visuals, and videos with these easy-to-use templates. The basic layout is already there, just waiting for you to put your unique stamp. Templates make the intranet design process more straightforward. Even better, you don’t need any great technical know-how.

Furthermore, these templates are tried and tested for mobile devices. They also come with advanced search functions. And the provider takes care of any security concerns about company data with the latest online security features.

Most providers offer free demos or trial offers. Take advantage of these opportunities. It’s your chance to explore the intranet software in action before committing.

Check out MyHub’s step-by-step guide to creating an intranet for more tips.

Intranet Homepage Best Practices

  • Best practices for intranet design: Consistent page layouts and color palettes work best in intranet design. You want to achieve a cohesive look for the entire intranet. This example uses a neutral palette of blues and grays. However, an eye-catching injection of color comes from the banner image and icons. Stick with these intranet design principles and you’re good to go!
  • Make news headlines and quick links center stage. This example uses engaging icons. You can also select tabs or mega menus.
  • Give your intranet a name. That way, you will create a unifying identity. Why not involve employees by suggesting names and getting staff to buy into your new intranet?

About MyHub

We are a leading provider of cloud-hosted intranet platforms. Consistently rated highly on independent review sites, companies of all shapes and sizes use our software. We make intranet design easy. Find out more with a free demo or no-obligation 14-day trial.

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