The SharePoint Intranet Nobody Uses

Let’s be honest: access is not the issue, value is.

Most organisations already have the tools. A SharePoint intranet, launched with excitement, a polished homepage, and a clear sense of purpose. But fast forward a year, and it is sitting quietly in the background, visited occasionally, trusted less often, and largely ignored.

If that sounds familiar, you are not alone. More importantly, it can be fixed.

 

Your intranet is being ignored

Research shows that while a large proportion of employees (roughly 93%) will access an intranet at some point, regular engagement is much lower. Many users visit briefly and do not return often, which tells a clear story. Access is not the issue. Value is.

Employees are not avoiding the intranet because they cannot use it. They are avoiding it because it does not help them enough in their day-to-day work.

 

Why most SharePoint intranets struggle

It is easy to assume the platform is the problem, but that is rarely the case. SharePoint is a flexible and capable tool, and you would know this just from using it once. The challenge usually comes from how it is structured, maintained, and owned over time.

In most organisations, the decline is gradual. Content becomes outdated, different teams create pages in different ways, and navigation starts to lose consistency. Over time, confidence in the intranet begins to drop. When people are not sure they can rely on what they find, they stop using it.

At that point, the intranet no longer feels useful, or it becomes something people check only when they have no other option.

 

A quick diagnostic: is your intranet in trouble?

There are some clear signs that an intranet is not working as it should.

The homepage may still receive traffic, but deeper pages are rarely visited; these maybe more specialised pages that are rich with information. Employees continue to ask for documents through Teams or email because it is quicker than searching. Navigation varies between departments, and ownership of content is unclear.

Taken together, these are not small issues. They point to a lack of trust in the platform as a reliable source of information, and this is what you will need to rule out.

 

The real issue: it is not designed around real work

Many intranets are built with a focus on publishing content…

News, announcements, and leadership updates take centre stage. While these have their place, they are not what most employees need during a typical working day.

People use internal systems to complete tasks. They need to find information quickly, follow processes, and access the right tools. If the intranet does not support those needs, it becomes easy to ignore.

 

How to actually fix it

Improving an intranet starts with a shift in focus. The goal is not to add more content. The goal is to make it genuinely useful.

At Changing Social, our intranet serves as the single source of truth, providing a single, reliable location for accessing essential resources. Our intranet holds a plethora of materials, including deliverable decks, an image library, templates, and shareable information.

A practical starting point is to identify the most common tasks employees need to complete. This might include finding policies, accessing systems, or submitting requests. Designing the intranet around these activities creates a clearer and more purposeful experience.

Content also needs careful attention. Many intranets grow quickly and accumulate large volumes of information. Over time, this leads to duplication and outdated pages. When users come across incorrect or conflicting content, confidence drops quickly. A more effective approach is to review and remove anything that is no longer accurate or relevant. Keeping content focused and up to date makes a noticeable difference.

Structure is equally important. Even good content can be difficult to use if navigation is unclear. A consistent approach to site design, with clear hubs and logical organisation, helps users find what they need without frustration. This reduces the need for training and makes the experience more intuitive.

Ownership is another key factor. In many cases, responsibility for the intranet is shared but not clearly defined. This often leads to gaps in maintenance and governance. Assigning clear owners to content areas and setting expectations for regular review helps maintain quality over time.

There is also value in making the intranet feel more connected to the organisation. Including regular updates from leadership, recognising employee contributions, and sharing relevant stories can help create a sense of engagement. When the platform reflects the organisation more closely, it becomes more relevant to the people using it.

 

The Copilot factor: why this matters now

With Microsoft Copilot becoming part of the Microsoft 365 experience, SharePoint plays an even more important role. It is no longer just a place to store information. It is a key source of data that AI tools rely on.

This means the quality of your intranet content has a direct impact on the quality of AI outputs. If information is outdated or inconsistent, those issues will surface through Copilot. Improving your intranet is therefore not just about usability. It is about ensuring your data is accurate and reliable.

 

Final thought

Many organisations still treat intranet adoption as a one-time effort, focusing on launch activity, communications, and training. While these are important, they do not solve the underlying issue.

Because now the quality of your intranet affects more than just the employee experience. It directly impacts the quality of your AI.

Tools like Copilot rely on the content in your Microsoft 365 environment. If your intranet is outdated, inconsistent, or hard to navigate, those same issues show up in the outputs your people are increasingly relying on.

Adoption, then, is not just about getting people to use the intranet. It is about ensuring the content behind it is useful, accurate, and trustworthy. When employees can rely on it to complete tasks and find information, usage follows naturally.

That is when an intranet starts to deliver real value. Not because people are encouraged to use it, but because it has become genuinely helpful.