Many UK organisations have invested in SharePoint intranets but struggle to get the value they expected. Whether it is low adoption, poor search, outdated content, or a confusing navigation structure, intranet problems are common — and most are fixable. Here are the most frequent UK intranet challenges and how to address them.
The problem: The intranet was launched but employees rarely use it, defaulting to email or Teams instead.
The fix: Adoption is a people problem, not a technology problem. Establish a champion network of engaged employees across departments, run targeted communications campaigns tied to real use cases, and make the intranet the authoritative source of information for things people actually need (policies, forms, news, the HR portal). Regular pulse surveys help identify barriers and track progress.
The problem: Content on the intranet is out of date, leading employees to distrust it and stop visiting.
The fix: Implement a content governance framework with named content owners for each section, mandatory review dates, and an escalation process for stale content. SharePoint's built-in content review reminders and expiry dates can automate much of this. A quarterly content audit helps identify and archive obsolete pages.
The problem: Employees cannot find what they are looking for using intranet search.
The fix: SharePoint search is powerful but needs tuning. Analyse zero-result queries to identify gaps, promote key content as Bookmarks in Microsoft Search, and ensure site metadata and page descriptions are populated. For complex environments, Microsoft Viva Topics can surface relevant expertise and content automatically.
The problem: The intranet is organised around the company's internal structure rather than how employees think and work.
The fix: Conduct card sorting exercises and tree testing with a sample of employees to understand how they expect information to be organised. Rebuild navigation around tasks and topics rather than departments. Use SharePoint hub sites to create clear information hierarchies.
The problem: The intranet does not work well on mobile devices, excluding remote and frontline workers.
The fix: Modern SharePoint is responsive by design, but many older customisations and legacy pages are not. Audit your intranet on mobile devices and prioritise updating the most-visited pages. The Microsoft SharePoint mobile app provides a good native experience for modern SharePoint sites.
The problem: The intranet feels like a technical tool run by IT rather than a communications and collaboration platform for the whole organisation.
The fix: Transfer ownership of intranet strategy to internal communications or HR, with IT as a support function. Bring employee voices into intranet decisions through a steering group, and measure success with employee satisfaction metrics rather than just technical uptime.