10 common mistakes in Intranet content publishing and how to avoid them

Intranets are full of content published with the best of intentions. Everything an employee might need is probably there somewhere. The problem is how long it takes to find it.

If employees are asking others where to find things, or saving outdated PDFs, time and energy are wasted. The issue is usually approach, not effort.

Here are ten common mistakes in Intranet publishing and how a content design mindset helps avoid them.

1. Skipping user research

Intranet content is often published because it exists, not because anyone asked. Typically, leaders and subject matter experts fill pages with the information they want to push out (‘push’ content) rather than what employees need (‘pull’ content).

What to do instead: Start with real user questions and tasks. Design content to help people complete something (‘pull’ content), not just access a resource.

2. Assuming writing skill means content design skill

Strong writing doesn’t automatically translate to usable web content. Good web content is designed for scanning, not reading, using clear and precise language written the way your users speak. This involves creating visual hierarchies with front-loaded headings and little visual noise. Content design is guiding a user to what they’re looking for, using clear visual signposts.

What to do instead: Treat content design as a separate skill. Build your capability, starting with books like Content Design by Sarah Winters and Rachel Edwards.

3. Over-designed labels and navigation

Clever section names may make sense to your department colleagues, but confuse other employees. Section labels like “MyHR” or “Learning@CocaCola” create questions for your users. They don’t want to think, they want to complete a task quickly.

What to do instead: Use plain, task-based labels that match how users think, like “Pay and benefits” or “Learning and Development.”

4. Treating the Intranet as a document library

Burying information in uploaded PDFs or Word documents adds friction for users. It moves them away from the website navigation to documents that are not designed for scanning.

Uploaded documents are rarely reviewed, updated or archived. By default, all documents uploaded to an Intranet typically appear in site search results, creating a version control problem.

What to do instead:

• Publish information on web pages, not in uploaded documents

• Use documents only as supporting material under a labelled “downloads” section

• Consider removing documents from search results pages

5. Using one format for all channels

Content publishers need the time and authority to adapt information for a webpage. New content needs to suit how people read online and match user research. For example, just because Payroll maintains key dates in a Word document, doesn’t mean users want to access that information by downloading and opening a document.

What to do instead: Partner with subject matter experts to tailor their information to user needs and to the webpage format. Choose the best format for your user, not the most efficient one to publish.

6. Ignoring content accessibility

Intranet content is often published without considering accessibility. Accessibility means designing content that is useful to everyone, regardless of ability, device or situation.

Common issues include poor heading structure, vague link text (such as “click here”), missing alt text on images and content that relies on visual elements alone to convey meaning. Long, complex sentences and dense paragraphs also make content harder to scan and understand. PDFs are frequently inaccessible by default, especially when they are used as the primary source of information.

These problems do not only affect people with disabilities. They increase cognitive load, slow everyone down and make content harder to use under pressure.

What to do instead: Design content to work for the widest possible audience. Use clear headings, meaningful link text and descriptive alt text that explains the purpose of images. Write in plain language, break up long sentences and avoid hiding essential information in documents or visuals. If content is hard to scan or explain simply, it is probably not accessible.

7. No platform governance process

Every section of the Intranet should have a governance coordinator. Someone with content design skill who can manage site structure, content owner training, publishing permissions and content audits. Every piece of content needs an assigned owner. The owner is required to review their content regularly and update or archive as needed, in consultation with the governance coordinator.

What to do instead: Centralise governance for each section of the Intranet and hold that role accountable for keeping content owners on top of their content.

8. Ignoring search behaviour

Many users search instead of navigating. You should know what appears in search results for high-traffic keywords and ensure it’s only what is useful to employees.

What to do instead: Use search data and plain language when writing content. Make headings and page titles match how employees search. Constantly audit search results for high-traffic keywords.

9. Overloading pages with unnecessary visuals

Images, banners, icons and promotional panels can compete with core content. Intranet pages are often stacked with stock images that do not help the user find what they need.

What to do instead: Only include visuals that actively help users complete their task. Keep visual ‘noise’ as low as possible and focus on elements that help the user get what they need.

10. Letting legacy linger

Intranet products like Microsoft SharePoint come with a suite of modern apps. Your digital forms don’t need to be PDF documents anymore. Instructional guides don’t need to be built in PowerPoint or Word. Event registration doesn’t have to involve a manual calendar invite.

What to do instead: Research new ways to do things using your available tools. Find digital solutions that simplify processes and take friction out of the employee experience.

Final thought

Most Intranet content problems are not caused by bad intent. They come from treating publishing web content as a communications task rather than as a design problem.

Good Intranet content doesn’t just exist. It works quietly, clearly and without making people think.