In today’s digital age, businesses can benefit significantly from using SharePoint sites to manage tasks and collaborate with their team members. But how to create a SharePoint site?
This tutorial will guide you in creating a Microsoft SharePoint site and offer tips on structuring and customizing it. We will also answer some frequently asked questions about these Microsoft sites.
Whether you’re a business owner looking to streamline your workflow or someone wanting to learn more about SharePoint sites, this tutorial is for you.
What is a SharePoint Site?
A SharePoint site is a secure website used by organizations to share information internally with employees. They can use SharePoint sites to announce new app releases, training, dinners, outings, weather, and even health and safety emergencies.
In short, organizations organize and share information in SharePoint on sites, and employees can use these sites to know what is currently happening at the company.
You can also use sites for collaboration and project management. Yes, it may sound strange, given that it’s a website. But teams can plan, track and complete projects on a site.
How Many SharePoint Sites Can You Create?
You can create as many sites as you want and even make one for each department in your organization. For example, you can create one SharePoint online site for the accounting department and one for IT or marketing.
You can make each of these sites have content related to its department only. Moreover, as mentioned before, organizations can also create one site for each project.
These sites include web parts that can be customized to fit users’ needs. Finally, you can access the tool through any web browser and it’s also part of a Microsoft 365 subscription (Office 365 is now Microsoft 365).
How to Create a SharePoint Site in 7 Steps
Creating a modern SharePoint team site is a simple process you can accomplish in a few steps. You’ll need an existing Microsoft 365 subscription for business or an appropriate subscription that includes SharePoint Online.
Here is how to create a SharePoint site:
- Go to office.com (Microsoft 365) and sign in to your account.
- In the upper left corner of the window, select the app launcher > All apps > SharePoint.
- Select the SharePoint or Sites tile.
- Click + Create site and choose Team Site from the options. A wizard should come up, asking you to enter some information to create your Team Site.
- Add a Site Name and enter the remaining information.
- Set the Privacy Settings of your SharePoint site and click Next.
- You can also add additional Owners or Members.
- Finally, click Finish to complete the site creation process.
Voila! Your whole new site has been created.
How to Structure Your SharePoint Site
Structuring your SharePoint site is relatively easy. Below are some elements you can edit to suit your organization’s needs:
Select a Theme
SharePoint offers modern, classic, and default themes that users can choose from. You can also customize the theme’s color, fonts, and layout to match your company’s branding.
You can customize a theme if it doesn’t fit your desire by using SharePoint Framework (SpFX). Once you have achieved the desired look, save it and apply it to your SharePoint site.
Change your Logo
You can also personalize the SharePoint site you just created by changing the site logo. Make your employees feel at home with a unique brand image for your organization.
Customize the Header
You can also change the appearance of your site header when customizing a SharePoint site. On your site, go to Settings > Change the Look > Header. You will see a list of designs that you can apply. You can also change the header background color.
Design the Footer
One more thing you may to customize is the site footer. The footer appears at the bottom of every page and can have important links, legal information, or company details.
In short, you can use the footer to add company and site information.
To change your SharePoint site footer, go to Settings > Change the Look > Fotter. Toggle the footer on, add your logo, and design it to match your brand. After designing the footer, make sure you save changes by clicking the ‘Save’ button.
Create and Add Pages
There are several ways to create additional pages for your SharePoint site. One way is to create and insert an internal link to a page within your SharePoint website.
Alternatively, you can add an external link to your home page to direct users to a page on another website.
Add Web Parts
You can add web parts to your website to further enhance its visual appeal. Web Parts can include Bing Maps, Call to Action (CTA) buttons, Image Galleries, and News Feeds.
To add a Web Part, go to the page you want to edit and click the « + » symbol to select from a list of web parts.
Should I Create a Team Site or a Communication Site?
You can choose to create a team site or a communication site, and they both serve different purposes.
A SharePoint team site requires users to set privacy settings (public or private) and add owners and members. It’s perfect for quick and easy collaboration on shared projects. Plus, It stores and shares documents and allows you to assign tasks, start blogs, and manage workflows.
On the other hand, a SharePoint communication site targets a broader audience and is great for sharing information across multiple organizations. Communication sites usually contain webpages customized with graphics or images and text-based content such as blog posts or articles.
So, the answer depends on what you want to do with your SharePoint site. If you want to collaborate on a specific project, then a SharePoint team site can be a suitable option. A Communication site will be perfect for sharing information with a larger audience, especially employees within your company.
What is SharePoint?
SharePoint is a document and content management system that enables organizations to create workspaces for teamwork, task monitoring, and scheduling. In short, SharePoint is for businesses of all sizes looking to enhance collaboration and security. It comes with document libraries and content management features.
SharePoint also allows companies to create modern team sites, add security levels, and apply workflows.
Read more: How to Multi-Way Sync SharePoint Contacts and Calendars with Other Business Tools?
Create a SharePoint Site To Accomplish More In Your Company
In this article, you learned how to build a SharePoint site, and you’re well on your way to efficient collaboration and communication. SharePoint is an excellent tool for managing documents, tasks, and communication, making it an essential solution for every business.
Many pre-built themes are available, and SharePoint makes it easy to upload your logo, create a header/footer, and add pages and web parts. Whether starting from scratch or revamping an existing one, SharePoint has everything you need to get the job done.
FAQs on SharePoint Site Creation
Below are some frequently asked questions on SharePoint site creation:
Can anyone create a SharePoint site?
Yes, anyone can create a SharePoint site. SharePoint is part of Microsoft 365, meaning anyone with access to Microsoft 365 can create a website.
But while anyone can create a SharePoint website, you must have some knowledge of the platform to create a functional and efficient site.
Understanding how SharePoint works and how to use its many features will help you create a site that meets your specific needs and is easy for others to use as well.
Can you create a SharePoint site for free?
Unfortunately, you cannot create a SharePoint site for free because there is no free SharePoint version. SharePoint Online, a cloud-based service from Microsoft, is available on a per-user license basis making it a cost-effective option compared to other options.
Additionally, some organizations may be eligible for a free trial via specific Microsoft programs or partnerships.
Can I make a SharePoint site without Microsoft Teams?
It is possible to create a SharePoint site without Microsoft Teams. In fact, you don’t have to use Microsoft Teams in order to use SharePoint.
But while you can use Teams and SharePoint together on a modern team site to enhance collaboration, you can easily create SharePoint team sites for document management, project management, and other purposes.
Does SharePoint offer site templates?
Yes, Microsoft SharePoint gives you access to a site collection or templates. You can use and edit a site template instead of creating a SharePoint online site from scratch.
Check out SharePoint Look Book for site collections or examples.
Can I change a SharePoint site address?
Yes, you can change a SharePoint site address (the URL of your website) from the SharePoint admin center in your site settings tab.
