Creating a great intranet search experience in SharePoint

Search is a critical component of any intranet. When I hear complaints about search it’s often caused by:

• A disconnect between users’ search terms and the naming of content
• Content is simply not on the intranet and therefore cannot be found
• Content is stored on non-intranet sites but is returned in the search, cluttering results and causing perceived security issues
• Redundant content has not been removed, creating clutter and causing mistrust in the validity of information.

There shouldn’t be a need to change the configuration of your search.

The fix for these kinds of issues is straightforward:

• Implement a hub site architecture so only results from connected sites are returned in the search
• Use a simple PowerShell script to change the search scope of any sites connected to the hub so the search experience is uniform across the intranet
• Ensure content owners understand how to effectively name and title their pages and documents
• Work with content owners to ensure content that users expect to find is included on the intranet
• Implement governance to ensure incorrect or out of date information is removed.

The vast majority of the time, good content, good governance and using SharePoint’s architectural features will help make a great search experience on any intranet.