What does a good intranet homepage look like?
A good intranet start page should look like a page out of a magazine - bright, engaging, and focused on what your employees need. The design and implementation of your intranet homepage can make or break employee engagement. Without a good design, your intranet solutions won’t capture your users’ attention, resulting in low adoption.
Think of your intranet homepage as a treasure map, filled with exciting features and resources, just waiting to be explored by your team. The homepage needs to be tailored to your organization, but certain elements can make the difference between a useful, engaging homepage and a digital desert. With the right design, everyone will be able to navigate their way from one destination to the next in no time!
Home pages should pack a punch.
Creating a digital workplace that looks stunning and is easy to navigate is the key to an intranet solution that shines. Your intranet homepage should have essential information at its centre, while also being easy on the eyes. Below are the 7 key components we think will make your intranet homepage stand out and be more fun to use for your employees.
1. Simple and orderly are best.
Your company intranet homepage should be easy to navigate, stylish and representative of your company culture. Keep the most important information at the top - like exciting staff news, company updates from the CEO, and any new announcements that contribute to a productive and positive work environment.
Really think about the order of your homepage modules. If you want users to engage within something on your homepage, i.e. a quick-fire poll or survey, don't put it halfway down the homepage - make sure it sits prominent and visible to ensure you get maximum exposure and engagement. This way, your employees can stay engaged and in the loop, and won’t getting overwhelmed by a snarled mess of irrelevant content. Plus, if it’s simple and sophisticated at the same time, your intranet won’t ever look out of date.
2. Design an easy navigation.
For users to easily find what they're looking for on your homepage, it's essential to have a straightforward navigation menu. To maximize the user experience, try to limit the navigation items to no more than 5-7. Feel free to add sub-menu items to
For organizations with a lot of intranet information, data, and external links, consider using dropdown submenus to add an extra layer of navigation shortcuts to keep things organized for remote workers. Additionally utilise features link Hub's Quick Link menus and containers to build bespoke links to key pages or external systems, which you can surface on every page, so users will always be able to find and easily navigate to important content.
3. Homepage content should be targeted.
Receiving irrelevant information can be just as frustrating as not getting enough information. When designing your intranet homepage, it's important to consider how to deliver targeted content to frontline workers. Making sure you're serving employees with the right information that's relevant to them, helps to increase engagement and prevent frustration from an excess of irrelevant content. It also helps to streamline your homepage layout, so you're not showing everything to everyone.
Modern social intranets like Hub, have an array of handy tools and tricks to help you deliver targeted content. Smart homepage News Containers powered by intelligent tags, allow you to display one News Container on your homepage, which services different news to different users based on their matching profile tags. You can even create different intranet environments for different user groups, partner brands or clients, creating a completely unique user experience where each community has a different bespoke homepage, showcasing targeted content specific to that group of users.
What makes for good intranet content?
When designing an intranet, it's important to consider what kind of content will be most useful for your users. Good intranet content can include company updates, employee success stories, employee resources, recognition, polls and surveys, training materials, job postings, collaboration tools, communication forums, and much more.
You can boost engagement by providing users with relevant information on their homepages for quick and easy access, and prevent frustration by burying it in your intranet pages.
4. Mobile-friendly is key.
Employees need easy access to your company's intranet and communication tools on-the-go, especially since many of us are working remotely now. That's why it's essential to make sure your intranet and its homepage mobile-friendly, so you can easily navigate it from your phone or tablet. Most intranets like Hub, feature an automatic responsive interface which 'snaps and stacks' your homepage modules and other intranet pages, ensuring your content looks great on mobile and is ordered correctly, without you having to lift a finger!
If you're in the search for a new intranet provider, always check-out what their platform looks like on mobile. Some intranet providers might require you to download a separate app, which will mean you'll have to manually update and add content to a separate mobile homepage - which can be a bit of a pain, having to manage two homepages, so worth bearing that in mind.
5. Using visually striking content.
When it comes to designing the start page of your intranet, it's important to consider the visual impact you want to create. One way to grab your users' attention and make your homepage more appealing, is by incorporating high-quality images and videos. Avoid using clipart and dated graphics. Instead find great images for your intranet homepage to really drive engagement and make users proud of your site. Consider investing in something like Shutterstock, or use free resources like Unsplash, Freepik or Pixabay. The goal is to create a homepage that is visually appealing and drives users to engage with your intranet content right from the go. It's important to consider what your users might find appealing, as well as ensuring the images are on-brand for your company and help reflect your culture.
It's not just the homepage - all intranet content should be visually appealing and interactive. Research from Forrester shows that people are 75% more likely to watch a video than read text, so consider using different resources like videos, images, and GIFs to improve engagement on the intranet.
6. Brand colors and logos.
As an employee, you want to feel connected to your company and its culture, and the homepage of your intranet is a great place to start. Your intranet's design should reflect your company so employees feel at home using the platform. You could choose to adopt your standard company branding, or create a unique brand identity for your intranet which resonates with your employee culture. The look and feel of your intranet is vitally important and can have a dramatic impact on how and if users actually engage with and regularly use your intranet. A badly designed intranet homepage with poor branding won't encourage anyone to return. It's important to not just stop at the homepage - using branding consistently throughout your entire intranet helps create a cohesive environment that makes employees feel at home, and shows you've taken the time to deliver them real value on the platform.
By keeping branding consistent, it becomes easier to recognize and connect with your company, no matter where you are within the intranet.
7. Don't be afraid of white space.
As a team member, you know how important it is to have a clear and organized intranet that helps you focus on specific tasks and metrics. One way to achieve this is by using white space effectively. White space, or empty space on a page, helps users focus on specific parts of the intranet and creates an orderly appearance. It's a great way to give your team members a "breather" and improve their overall user experience.
A great example of this is when companies use an extranet to share information with external partners while only sharing the most essential information. By using white space to highlight important information, it becomes easier for both internal and external team members to find what they need and stay organized. So don't be afraid to use white space - it can greatly improve the user experience for everyone.
Now, let's look at specific industry intranet homepage needs...
Intranet Example #1:
General Employee Intranet Homepage
A general employee intranet homepage example would typically include a clean and modern design, easy navigation, and prominent search functionality. The homepage should also include relevant News, Team Success Stories and Events, as well as Quick Links to important resources, tools and external system. Additionally, it should be customizable for each user, with the ability to personalize the content based on the individual's role and needs within the organization.
Some other characteristics to include on your average company intranet homepage include social collaboration features, such as Employee Celebrations (like Birthdays and Work Anniversaries), Chat Forum Threads and Peer Recognition.
Start driving engagement from the get-go with interactive homepage features for gathering feedback, information and gauge the mood of your workforce. Great tools for this are Polls, Forms, and Surveys. Polls are an especially good feature to include on your homepage, as they provide an immediate visual tool for employees to see how others within the company are voting, so they feel connected to a wider community.
Overall, the goal of a general company intranet homepage is to create a central hub for all company communication and resources, making it easy for employees to access the information and tools they need to be productive and stay connected.
Intranet Example #2:
Franchise Intranet Homepage
A franchise intranet homepage example might include similar characteristics as a general intranet homepage, but with some specific considerations for the unique needs of a franchise organization. The priority of a franchise intranet is to provide the company's franchisees with toolkits and marketing assets, alongside other key resources such as links to policies and procedures, to enable these franchisees to independently setup, promote and run their branch of the business. These franchisees are effectively freelancers, so it's up to the franchise intranet to provide them with everything they need to make their branch of the company a success. Personal development and training resources are also a key feature for franchise intranet homepages, to help only boost the skills level of your extended workforce.
The homepage may also need to provide access to specialized resources and services that are specific to the franchise's sector, such as KPI performance reports. Your homepage could include features for Group Forums for collaboration and communication between franchisees, helping to connect and empower your franchise workforce, and create a sense of community.
Intranet example #3:
HR intranet homepage example
To manage HR processes like holiday requests and performance evaluations, HR professionals need easy access to all the information and tools they require. That's where a well-designed HR intranet homepage comes in.
HR professionals need easy access to policies and procedures, employee benefits, links to external payroll systems, and professional development programs.
Other features that may be helpful to HR homepages include:
performance review tools,
recruitment resources,
employee engagement surveys,
diversity and inclusion initiatives,
employee wellness resources,
career development resources,
employee recognition programs.
By including these elements on your HR intranet homepage, employees can stay informed, connected, and engaged with their work and the company as a whole.
Tips for providing a great intranet user experience.
Providing a modern intranet user experience is essential for keeping employees engaged and motivated. A well-designed intranet homepage can help employees get the info and resources they need by providing an intuitive and user-friendly interface.
1. The Six, Six Rule
To follow the six, six rule and create an effective intranet homepage, consider organizing your page into clear sections with distinct headings, using large and easily readable fonts, and using visual elements like images and icons to guide users to the examples of intranet they need. By following this rule, you can create a homepage that is easy to navigate and helps users find what they need quickly and efficiently.
To follow the six, six rule and create an effective intranet homepage, consider organizing your page into clear sections with distinct headings, using large and easily readable fonts, and using visual elements like images and icons to guide users to the examples of intranet they need. By following this rule, you can create a homepage that is easy to navigate and helps users find what they need quickly and efficiently.
2. Using Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks are like the highways of the internet, helping us get where we need to go with ease. And just like a well-planned highway system, a well-designed intranet homepage should have a clear and easy-to-follow hyperlink structure that takes us directly to the information and resources we need. But let's be honest, there's nothing worse than following a seemingly straightforward hyperlink only to end up at a 404 page (the internet equivalent of a dead-end road). That's why it's important to make sure all your hyperlinks are in good working order and lead to the correct destination.
3. Replacing Email
A well-designed intranet homepage can be the ultimate solution to the tedious game of "email tennis" that plagues so many workplaces. No more endless back-and-forth exchanges, frantically searching for that one important document in your overflowing inbox, or trying to track down a colleague's contact information.
With a central hub for all internal resources and communication, an intranet homepage can help employees access what they need quickly and easily, eliminating the need for email ping-pong. Documents and info are easily shared, allowing employees to collaborate and streamline their workflows.
5 ways to reduce 'email tennis' in your organization:
1. Provide access to the company directory and employee contact details on the intranet homepage so employees can quickly find the person they need to communicate with.
2. Include a centralized document library on the intranet homepage, which can be used to store and share documents.
3. Create an instant messaging system for employees to communicate with each other quickly and easily.
4. Include a news section on the homepage to share announcements and updates.
5. Provide access to internal forums and discussion boards so employees can share ideas and questions.
The ROI of a well-designed intranet homepage.
A well-designed intranet can boost productivity and efficiency within an organization. Intranets streamline communication and info sharing reducing the time and resources spent on tasks like looking for and sharing documents. It's an increase in efficiency that directly translates to cost savings for organizations.
But how do you know if you're getting a good return on your intranet investment? One way to measure the ROI of your intranet is to track key metrics, such as the number of employees using the intranet, the frequency of use, and the time saved by using the intranet.
You can also survey employees to gather feedback on the value and impact of the intranet. By analyzing these and other metrics, you can get a sense of whether your intranet is delivering the desired results and providing a good ROI. So don't be afraid to get ROI-tional about your intranet – it could pay off big time in the long run!
The intangible benefits of a well-designed intranet
The ROI of intranets is often overlooked in favor of the more tangible costs associated with running a business. But without a well-designed intranet, your business is missing out on the ‘intangible’ benefits, such as higher employee retention rates and unified company culture. Not to mention the increased efficiency and cost savings that come with using an intranet for document management and employee training.
What's the best intranet solution for your company?
When it comes to choosing the best intranet solution for your company, you want something that's easy to use and cool - like the suave and sophisticated James Bond of the intranet world. The Hub checks both of those boxes with its sleek and modern design and impressive features like social networking and collaboration tools. Plus, it's fully responsive and can be accessed from any device, so you can stay connected and productive no matter where you are.
So go ahead and give Hub a try - it might just be the perfect intranet solution for boosting your company's employee engagement. Just don't be surprised if it starts ordering martinis and driving fancy sports cars.
Final thoughts
Creating an effective intranet homepage is essential to successful internal communication. To ensure it meets its full potential, it's important to invest time and resources in making the page simple and user-friendly. Examples of intranet best practices outlined can help make sure your homepage is designed in a way that will make it easy for users to quickly find what they need. It's important to focus on both the visual design and internal communication to make sure the intranet homepage is as effective as possible.