Building an intranet can feel daunting when you are starting from scratch. You need to plan the platform, content, design, employee access and launch. The best starting point is understanding what your people actually need.
This beginner's guide covers the different types of intranet and nine practical steps to build one that supports communication, knowledge sharing and employee engagement.
What is an intranet?
An intranet is a private workplace platform where employees find information, read company updates, access applications and connect with colleagues. Modern intranet software supports desk-based, hybrid and frontline teams.
Different types of intranet
Cloud-based
Hosted and maintained by the provider, with secure access from supported devices and less internal infrastructure to manage.
On-premises
Hosted on your organisation's infrastructure, typically requiring more internal IT resource for maintenance and updates.
What's the purpose of an intranet?
A good intranet helps employees communicate, find knowledge, collaborate and complete everyday tasks.
9 steps to building an intranet
1 Getting started
Bring together internal communications, HR, IT and operations to agree why you need an intranet and who it will serve. Consider:
- What communication or knowledge problems need solving?
- Who needs access, and on which devices?
- Which features are essential?
- Who will own the content and platform?
- How will you measure success?
2 Establish your intranet's purpose
Set specific goals before choosing features. You may need better document access, targeted communication, stronger employee engagement or easier collaboration between frontline and desk-based teams.
Make goals measurable: Track communication reach, information retrieval time, employee adoption or the volume of repeated support requests.
3 Gather employee and management feedback
Ask employees what information is hard to find, how they receive updates and what tools they use. Include different departments, locations and shift patterns, particularly frontline employees without regular access to a work computer.
4 Research intranet features
Prioritise features based on your objectives and the needs identified by employees.
Mobile access
Give deskless teams secure access to resources. See Oak's mobile intranet app.
Employee communication
Target news, alerts and announcements to the appropriate teams.
Knowledge and search
Make documents, policies and guidance easier to find and maintain.
Social engagement
Support recognition, feedback and employee communities.
Branding and usability
Make the experience familiar, accessible and easy to navigate.
Security and integrations
Review access controls, Microsoft 365, HR tools and other systems.
5 Choose the right intranet provider
Compare suppliers against the same criteria: accessibility, communication, search, security, integrations, administration, cost and support. Request examples that reflect how your employees really work.
Comparing options? Read our best intranet software comparison for a closer look at leading providers.
6 Request a demo and plan your design
Ask suppliers to demonstrate everyday tasks, including finding a policy, publishing news, accessing the intranet on mobile and opening connected workplace tools.
Use company branding, but prioritise accessible colours, intuitive navigation and the ability to reach important information quickly.
7 Test your intranet with employees
Invite employees from different roles, devices and levels of technical confidence to test the platform before launch. Can they find key documents, receive updates and use the mobile experience without help?
8 Launch your intranet
Plan the rollout, check account access and content, and give employees guidance on how to use the platform. Explain how it will help them in their working day.
For launch planning, configuration and onboarding guidance, explore Oak's implementation and support.
9 Provide ongoing training and development
Launch is not the finish line. Train content owners and new starters, review analytics, update information and act on employee feedback to keep the intranet useful.
Building an intranet FAQs
How much does it cost to build an intranet?
Costs depend on employee numbers, licensing, integrations, migration and support. Compare providers using the same requirements.
Can you build an intranet without coding?
Many cloud platforms let teams configure pages and manage content without development skills, although specialist integrations may need support.
Ready to build your intranet?
Discover how Oak Engage helps employees communicate, share knowledge and access workplace resources on mobile and desktop.
Explore Oak intranet software