How to Build a SharePoint Intranet in 15 Minutes (Even Without an IT Team)

Can You Really Build a Company Intranet in 15 Minutes Using SharePoint Online?

Yes — if you’re a small business or nonprofit, and you don’t have an IT department, you can build a company intranet with Sharepoint in under 15 minutes. No coding. No tech degree. No stress.

This guide walks you through the steps you need — fast, simple, and built for real people who just want something that works.

You can build a SharePoint intranet in under 15 minutes — even if you’ve never used the platform before.

What Is a SharePoint Intranet (And Why You Probably Need One)?

A SharePoint intranet is your internal home base. Think:

A single place for your team to access documents
Internal announcements or links
Policies, forms, HR materials
Anything your team keeps asking you for over and over

If your team is wasting time digging through emails or random folders — it’s time.

Many small teams struggle with how to build a SharePoint intranet without tech support. That changes now.

Step-by-Step: Build Your Intranet in 15 Minutes

🕐 Estimated Time: 15 minutes
🧰 Tools Needed: A Microsoft 365 account (Business Standard or above)

Step 1: Create a Communication Site (2 minutes)

Go to https://portal.office.com and click the SharePoint app.
Click “+ Create site”
Choose Communication Site
(Why? It’s clean, easy to use, and perfect for broadcasting info)
Name your site something obvious like “Team Hub” or “Company Intranet”
Choose a layout — Topic is a great start

✅ Your site is now live!

Step 2: Set Up the Home Page (5 minutes)

Here’s what to add:

Hero Web Part – Feature key links or announcements
Quick Links – Add buttons for “HR Policies,” “Timesheets,” “Team Calendar,” etc.
Document Library – So your team can access key files (like templates or onboarding kits)

💡 Tip: Drag and drop to rearrange. You won’t break it!

Step 3: Create Document Libraries (3 minutes)

Go to Site contents → New → Document library

Create one for each key area:

HR Docs
Operations
Marketing Assets
Client Templates

Set permissions if needed:

HR sees and can edit HR files
Everyone sees templates, but only Admin can edit

🛑 Don’t overcomplicate this. Start simple. You can always refine later.

Step 4: Add Your Team (2 minutes)

Click the gear icon > Site permissions
Add members and give them the Member role
Set owners if others will help manage

That’s it. They’ll get automatic access when they log into Microsoft 365.

Step 5: Share the Link + Explain the Why (3 minutes)

People ignore tools they don’t understand. Send out a short email or message like:

“Hey team! Here’s our new internal hub. No more hunting for documents or asking for the same links. This is your go-to spot for everything.”

Include the site link and what they can find there.

Done. That’s Your Intranet.

Not perfect? Doesn’t matter. You’ve launched. You’ve centralized key resources. And you did it without hiring anyone or spending months planning.

Next Steps (If You Want to Go Further Later)

Add a calendar
Connect to Microsoft Teams
Automate requests with Power Automate
Use Lists to track internal tasks

You don’t need all of that on Day 1. But now you have a strong foundation.

FAQs

Do I need a developer to customize the site?
Nope. SharePoint is low-code/no-code friendly. You can do everything above with drag-and-drop.

What if I want to add more features later?
Great! SharePoint grows with you. But don’t start with complexity — start with what your team needs today.

Can I connect this site to Microsoft Teams?
Yes — you can pin it as a tab or link in any team channel. Easy!

Is this secure?
Yes, SharePoint runs on Microsoft 365’s secure cloud. Just make sure to set permissions smartly if you’re adding sensitive docs.

Final Thought: Progress Over Perfection

Launching an intranet isn’t about making it perfect — it’s about giving your team a place to land. You can tweak later.

You did it. 🎉

Want Faster Results — or More Advanced Features?

Setting up SharePoint can be simple… but if you’d rather skip the trial-and-error, we’ve built something just for you.

Our Fast Track SharePoint Setup Kit gives you:

Step-by-step instructions to build 10 powerful company intranet tools in SharePoint
30+ downloadable templates for planning, migration, training, and communication
A checklist to avoid the most common setup mistakes
Instant access — no waiting, no guessing