How to Review an Intranet

Your intranet is like the office fridge. Everyone uses it. Many people complain about it. And somehow, there is always something old hiding in the back. A good intranet review helps you find what works, what smells funny, and what needs a fresh start.

Start with a clear goal

Before you click anything, ask one big question: Why are we reviewing this intranet?

Maybe people cannot find HR forms. Maybe news is ignored. Maybe the search tool acts like it has taken a long lunch. Your goal will guide the whole review.

Good goals are simple. For example:

• Find out why employees do not use the intranet.
• Check if content is current and useful.
• Improve search and navigation.
• See if the intranet supports remote workers.
• Prepare for a redesign or new platform.

Do not try to fix everything at once. That way lies chaos, coffee, and very long meetings.

Know who uses it

An intranet is not for “the business.” It is for people. Busy people. Tired people. People who just want the expense form before their next meeting.

Make a short list of your main user groups. Think about:

• Office staff
• Remote workers
• Frontline teams
• Managers
• New starters
• HR, IT, finance, and other content owners

Each group may need different things. A new starter wants policies and team charts. A manager wants reports and approval links. A frontline worker may need quick mobile access.

Tip: Do not guess too much. Guessing is fun. It is also often wrong.

Talk to real users

This is the part where the intranet meets reality. Speak to employees. Keep it light. Keep it short. People are more honest when they are not trapped in a two hour workshop.

Ask questions like:

• What do you use the intranet for?
• What do you avoid using it for?
• What is hard to find?
• What page do you visit most?
• What would you fix first?

Listen for emotion. If someone says, “I hate the search,” write that down. If five people say it, underline it. If ten people say it, buy the search tool a tiny apology card.

You can use interviews, surveys, or quick polls. Even a five-minute chat can reveal a lot.

Test common tasks

A good intranet review is not just opinions. It needs action. Pick a few common tasks and ask users to complete them.

For example:

• Find the latest annual leave policy.
• Submit an IT support request.
• Find the CEO’s latest update.
• Download the brand guidelines.
• Find a colleague’s phone number.

Watch what happens. Do users click the right menu? Do they use search? Do they sigh? Sighs are data too.

Note how long each task takes. Note where people get stuck. If a simple task takes six clicks, a login, a guess, and a prayer, you have found a problem.

Check the navigation

Navigation is the map of your intranet. If the map is bad, people get lost. Then they give up. Then they ask Karen from HR. Poor Karen.

Look at the main menu. Is it clear? Are labels simple? Do they use employee language, or internal department jargon?

For example, “Pay and Benefits” is usually better than “Total Reward Framework.” One sounds helpful. The other sounds like a robot wrote it during a strategy retreat.

Check for:

• Too many menu items
• Confusing names
• Duplicate sections
• Dead ends
• Pages hidden too deep

A good rule is this: users should know where to click without needing a treasure map.

Review the content

Content is the heart of the intranet. It can also become a junk drawer. Old news. Outdated forms. Pages owned by people who left in 2019. It happens.

Do a content audit. This means you make a list of pages and check their health.

Look for:

• Accuracy: Is the information still correct?
• Usefulness: Does anyone need this page?
• Ownership: Who is responsible for it?
• Freshness: When was it last updated?
• Clarity: Is it easy to read?

Mark each page as keep, update, merge, or delete. Be brave. Not every page deserves to live forever.

Fun test: If a page says “coming soon” and it has said that for three years, it is not coming soon.

Look at search

Search should be the intranet’s superhero. Often, it is more like a confused raccoon in a filing cabinet.

Test the search tool with real terms. Use words employees actually type. Try “holiday,” “vacation,” “expenses,” “IT help,” and “maternity leave.”

Ask:

• Do the best results appear first?
• Are old pages showing above new ones?
• Are results full of strange titles?
• Can users filter results?
• Are documents easy to identify?

Search problems often come from content problems. Bad titles, old files, and missing keywords can ruin everything. Fixing content can make search much better.

Check mobile access

Many people do not sit at a desk all day. Some work in stores, clinics, factories, or on the road. If your intranet fails on mobile, it may fail for a huge part of your team.

Open it on a phone. Be honest. Is it usable? Can people read the text? Can they tap buttons without needing tiny elf fingers?

Check key tasks on mobile too. News, people search, forms, and urgent updates should work well on small screens.

Study the numbers

Analytics are your quiet little truth machine. They show what people do, not just what they say.

Look at:

• Most visited pages
• Least visited pages
• Search terms
• Failed searches
• Time on page
• Device use
• News views and clicks

Numbers need context. A page with low views may still be vital. For example, a crisis policy may not be popular every day. But when people need it, they really need it.

Use data with user feedback. Together, they tell a better story.

Review design and readability

Your intranet does not need to win an art prize. It does need to be clean, clear, and easy on the eyes.

Check the basics:

• Is the text large enough?
• Is there enough white space?
• Are headings useful?
• Are buttons clear?
• Do pages look consistent?
• Can people scan pages quickly?

Short pages are often better. Short sentences help too. Employees are not reading a novel. They are trying to get something done before lunch.

Use plain language. Replace “utilize” with “use.” Replace “commence” with “start.” Replace “please be advised” with almost anything else.

Check governance

Governance sounds boring. It is not. It is the difference between a healthy intranet and a digital swamp.

Ask these questions:

• Who can publish content?
• Who approves updates?
• How often are pages reviewed?
• What happens when an owner leaves?
• Are there writing rules?

Set clear roles. Every important page should have an owner. Every owner should know their job. The intranet should not depend on secret knowledge and one heroic admin named Steve.

Make a simple scorecard

Now bring everything together. Create a scorecard. Keep it simple. Rate each area from 1 to 5.

• Navigation
• Search
• Content quality
• Mobile experience
• Design
• Accessibility
• Governance
• User satisfaction

This makes problems easier to explain. It also helps leaders see what needs attention first.

Turn findings into action

A review is only useful if something happens next. Do not end with a giant report that sleeps in a folder. Make a clear action plan.

Group actions into three types:

• Quick wins: Fix broken links. Rename confusing menu items. Delete old news.
• Medium fixes: Rewrite key pages. Improve search results. Create content rules.
• Big projects: Redesign navigation. Rebuild sections. Move to a new platform.

Add owners and dates. Keep the list realistic. A small finished fix is better than a grand plan that never moves.

Final thoughts

Reviewing an intranet does not need to be scary. Think of it as a health check. You look, listen, test, and learn. Then you fix the things that matter most.

Keep users at the center. Make content useful. Make search less raccoon-like. And remember: the best intranet is not the fanciest one. It is the one people can use without groaning.