This is a common issue, as native SharePoint branding can be restrictive. The most effective solution is to use a no-code design tool with a Theme Builder. This allows you to apply your exact brand colors, upload custom corporate fonts, and design unique headers and footers—all through a visual interface, with no risk of breaking your site when Microsoft releases updates.‍

The best strategy is to start with professionally designed templates instead of a blank page. Tools like ShortPoint offer hundreds of pre-built, customizable templates for homepages, HR portals, and news centers. This approach avoids the "vanilla template" problem, where basic SharePoint designs fail to impress stakeholders, and helps you launch up to 60% faster.

You can overcome SharePoint's native layout limitations by using a no-code page builder. These tools provide a library of 70+ versatile design elements like Tabs, Accordions, Image Carousels, and more. You can simply drag and drop these elements to create any custom layout you need, which is impossible with the handful of predefined layouts offered by default SharePoint.

Not anymore. Modern no-code platforms like ShortPoint are specifically designed to empower business users in departments like HR, Marketing, or Communications to become SharePoint designers. The entire experience is built around intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces, so you can create and manage beautiful sites without writing a single line of code.

This is a major risk with unsupported customization methods, but not with trusted third-party solutions. They are built on the modern, supported SPFx framework and are continuously updated to ensure full compatibility with all Microsoft updates, giving you design freedom without instability.

The time savings are one of the most significant benefits. By using a template-based, no-code approach, organizations can reduce intranet project timelines from months to just a few weeks. Case studies show intranet builds being completed 4x faster, with some projects finishing in 2 weeks instead of an estimated 3 months.

The key is to use dynamic content connections. Instead of manually updating pages, you can use features like ShortPoint Connect to link page elements directly to a SharePoint list, library, or other data source. When you update the information in the source list, the content on your page refreshes automatically, ensuring your intranet remains a reliable source of truth.

Yes. A modern intranet should be a central hub for all company information. Design platforms for SharePoint offer seamless integrations that allow you to embed Power BI dashboards, live social media feeds (from Viva Engage, Twitter/X, etc.), videos, and even connect to external data sources via REST APIs.

Not if you use an optimized tool. While large images and custom code can slow down native SharePoint sites, platforms like ShortPoint are engineered for performance. They include features like lazy loading for long pages and data caching to ensure that even visually rich, dynamic pages load quickly for a better user experience.

While SharePoint is part of your M365 subscription, achieving a truly branded and user-friendly intranet often requires significant hidden costs like developers or ongoing maintenance. A design tool provides a clear return on investment (ROI) by eliminating these costs, accelerating launch times, and empowering your existing team to manage the site without needing technical expertise.

No, and this is a key advantage. ShortPoint uses a "per-designer" licensing model, which is highly cost-effective. You only need licenses for the individuals who will be actively building pages and applying themes. An unlimited number of employees can view, use, and interact with the pages you create at no additional cost.

Leading third-party solutions provide robust customer support. ShortPoint is frequently praised in user reviews for its excellent support, which includes live assistance via phone, email, and chat, as well as a comprehensive knowledge base or the ShortPoint Academy.

To make a SharePoint site look good, you should move beyond the default templates. Use a tool like ShortPoint's Page Builder to create custom layouts with multiple columns, apply your exact corporate branding (colors and fonts) with a Theme Builder, and use high-quality, professional imagery. The key is to create a focused, uncluttered user experience that prioritizes your employees' most common tasks.

A good intranet homepage must include a powerful, site-wide search bar, a section for personalized company news and announcements, and quick links to the most frequently used tools and resources (e.g., HR portal, IT help desk, employee directory). It should also be mobile-responsive and reflect the company's brand identity to feel official and trustworthy.

Yes, absolutely. You can make SharePoint not look like SharePoint by using third-party design tools that override the default branding and layout limitations. By implementing a custom theme, header, footer, and using dynamic design elements like carousels and accordions, you can transform a standard SharePoint site into a fully branded, modern digital workplace that is indistinguishable from a custom-built website.

To increase user adoption, the intranet must be genuinely useful. This means ensuring content is relevant and up-to-date, making critical tools and information easy to find (within 2-3 clicks), and providing a great user experience on both desktop and mobile. Personalizing content for different departments or roles can increase engagement by over 40%.

A Team Site is for collaboration within a group; it's where a team works on files, manages tasks, and has private conversations. A Communication Site is for broadcasting information out to a broad audience; it's used for company news, HR portals, and homepages where a small number of people create content for many to consume. The examples in this guide primarily focus on communication site designs.