How to Create a SharePoint Site: Step-by-Step Guide for 2025

Creating a SharePoint site takes about five minutes. Creating a SharePoint site that actually works for your team—one that people use, content stays organized, and collaboration flows smoothly—requires a bit more thought.

This guide walks through both: the quick technical steps to spin up a new SharePoint site, and the planning considerations that separate useful SharePoint sites from abandoned digital wastelands.

Before You Create: Two Types of SharePoint Sites

SharePoint offers two primary site types. Choosing the right one matters when you set up a SharePoint site for the first time.

Team Sites

Team sites are designed for active collaboration within a defined group. They connect to Microsoft 365 Groups, which means:

• Members automatically get a shared Outlook mailbox
• A Microsoft Teams team can be created (or connected)
• A shared Planner board is available
• The group has a shared calendar

Team sites work best for project teams, departments, or working groups who need to collaborate on documents and communicate regularly.

Best for: Project teams, departments, committees, working groups

Communication Sites

Communication sites broadcast information to a wider audience. They don’t connect to Microsoft 365 Groups—there’s no shared mailbox or Teams integration by default.

Communication sites emphasize polished presentation: news articles, events, and curated content. They’re designed to be consumed rather than co-created.

Best for: Company announcements, department portals, intranets, resource hubs, executive communications

Quick Comparison

Feature	Team Site	Communication Site
Microsoft 365 Group	Yes	No
Teams Integration	Built-in	Manual
Shared Mailbox	Yes	No
Default Layout	Document-focused	News/content-focused
Typical Audience	Defined team members	Broader organization
Collaboration Style	Active co-creation	Publish and consume

How to Create a SharePoint Team Site

Step 1: Access SharePoint

Navigate to SharePoint in your Microsoft 365 environment:

• Go to office.com and sign in
• Click the app launcher (grid icon) in the top left
• Select “SharePoint”

Alternatively, go directly to your organization’s SharePoint URL (typically yourcompany.sharepoint.com).

Step 2: Start SharePoint Site Creation

From the SharePoint start page:

1. Click “+ Create site” in the top left area
2. Select “Team site”

Step 3: Configure Your Team Site

You’ll be prompted to enter several details:

Site Name Choose a clear, descriptive name. This becomes part of the site URL and the connected Microsoft 365 Group name.

• Good: “Marketing Team”, “Project Phoenix”, “HR Department”
• Avoid: “Stuff”, “Team 1”, “New Site”

Group Email Address SharePoint suggests an email address based on your site name. You can customize this. Keep it short and recognizable—people may use this for group emails.

Site Description Write a brief description explaining the site’s purpose. This helps people understand whether they’re in the right place and improves search discoverability.

Privacy Settings

• Private: Only members can access the site and its content
• Public: Anyone in your organization can access the site

Choose Private for most team collaboration. Public works for resource libraries or information that should be broadly accessible.

Language Select the primary language for the site interface.

Step 4: Add Site Owners and Members

After basic setup, you’ll be prompted to add people:

Owners can manage site settings, permissions, and structure. Add at least two owners to avoid single points of failure.

Members can view, edit, and add content but cannot change site settings or permissions.

You can skip this step and add people later, but it’s efficient to add core team members now.

Step 5: Your New SharePoint Site Is Ready

Click “Finish” and SharePoint creates your team site. You’ll land on the site home page, ready to add content.

The connected Microsoft 365 Group is created automatically. If your organization allows it, you can also create a Microsoft Teams team connected to this site.

How to Create a SharePoint Communication Site

Step 1: Access SharePoint

Same as above—navigate to your SharePoint start page via office.com or directly.

Step 2: Start Site Creation

1. Click “+ Create site”
2. Select “Communication site”

Step 3: Choose a Design

Communication sites offer starting templates:

• Topic: General-purpose layout with news, events, and highlighted content
• Showcase: Visual design emphasizing images and media
• Blank: Start from scratch with an empty page

For most purposes, start with Topic. You can customize everything later.

Step 4: Configure Your Communication Site

Site Name Choose a professional, descriptive name appropriate for broader audiences.

• Good: “Company News”, “IT Resources”, “Sales Enablement Hub”
• Avoid: Internal project names or jargon outsiders won’t understand

Site Description Communication sites often serve larger audiences who may be less familiar with the content. Write a clear description.

Language Select the interface language.

Note: Communication sites don’t create Microsoft 365 Groups, so there’s no group email or privacy setting at this stage.

Step 5: Site Creation Complete

Your communication site is ready. You’ll see the template layout with placeholder content. Replace the placeholders with your actual content, news, and resources.

After Creation: Essential Setup Steps

Creating the site is just the beginning. These steps ensure your site is usable and maintainable.

Configure Navigation

Default navigation is minimal. Build a navigation structure that helps people find content.

1. Click Settings (gear icon) > Change the look > Navigation
2. Or edit navigation directly from the site header

Add links to key document libraries, pages, and external resources. Keep navigation concise—if everything is highlighted, nothing is.

Set Up Document Libraries

The default “Documents” library works for simple needs. For more organized content:

1. Click + New > Document library
2. Name the library descriptively (e.g., “Project Plans”, “Policies”, “Templates”)
3. Consider creating libraries for distinct content categories rather than relying solely on folders

Create Custom Columns (Metadata)

Metadata transforms document libraries from file dumps into searchable, filterable systems.

To add a custom column:

1. Open a document library
2. Click + Add column
3. Choose a column type (Choice, Date, Person, etc.)
4. Configure options

Common useful metadata columns:

• Document Type: Policy, Procedure, Template, Report
• Status: Draft, In Review, Approved, Archived
• Department: HR, Finance, Operations, IT
• Project: For cross-project sites

Configure Permissions

Default permissions (Owners, Members, Visitors) work for many scenarios. Review and adjust as needed:

1. Click Settings (gear icon) > Site permissions
2. Review existing groups and members
3. Add or remove people as appropriate

For Team Sites, managing the connected Microsoft 365 Group often handles permissions automatically.

Customize the Home Page

The default home page is functional but generic. Customize it to serve your specific audience:

1. Click Edit on the home page
2. Add, remove, and rearrange web parts
3. Useful web parts: Document library, Quick links, News, People, Events

Design with your users in mind. What do they need to see first? What actions do they take most frequently?

SharePoint Site Best Practices

Plan Before You Build

Answer these questions before creating a new SharePoint site:

• What’s the purpose? Be specific. “Store marketing stuff” is not a purpose.
• Who’s the audience? Define primary and secondary users.
• What content will live here? Documents, news, pages, lists?
• How will content be organized? Folder structure, metadata, multiple libraries?
• Who manages it? Site owners responsible for maintenance?
• Does a similar site already exist? Avoid duplication.

Naming Conventions

Establish consistent naming conventions for:

• Sites: Department/team name, project name, or clear descriptive title
• Document libraries: Content type or category
• Documents: Include dates, version indicators, or project codes as appropriate

Poor naming leads to confusion, duplication, and difficulty finding content.

Don’t Over-Create Sites

It’s tempting to create a new SharePoint site for every project or initiative. This leads to site sprawl—hundreds of underused sites that fragment content and confuse users.

Consider alternatives:

• Folders or libraries within existing sites for smaller initiatives
• Channels in Teams for project collaboration (files automatically go to SharePoint)
• Pages within existing sites for new topics

Create new sites when there’s a distinct audience, governance need, or long-term purpose.

Establish Governance Early

Decide upfront:

• Who can create sites?
• What’s the naming convention?
• Who approves new sites?
• How are abandoned sites handled?
• What’s the retention policy?

Microsoft 365 admin settings can enforce some governance automatically. Policy decisions require human planning.

Train Your Users

The best-designed SharePoint site fails if users don’t know how to use it—or don’t know it exists.

Minimum training should cover:

• Where to find the site
• How to upload and organize documents
• How to use search
• Who to contact with questions

For complex sites, document processes and provide quick reference guides.

Common SharePoint Site Mistakes

Mistake 1: No Clear Owner

Sites without active owners become neglected. Content grows stale. Permissions drift. Users lose trust in the information.

Fix: Assign at least two owners. Define their responsibilities. Review ownership periodically.

Mistake 2: Deep Folder Hierarchies

Folders nested five or six levels deep are hard to navigate and harder to maintain. Users create duplicate files because they can’t find existing ones.

Fix: Keep folder structures shallow (2-3 levels maximum). Use metadata columns to categorize content. Use search.

Mistake 3: Ignoring Mobile Users

SharePoint works on mobile devices, but sites designed only for desktop can be frustrating on phones.

Fix: Test your site on mobile. Use modern web parts that adapt to screen size. Keep navigation simple.

Mistake 4: Treating SharePoint as a File Share

SharePoint has powerful features beyond basic file storage: versioning, co-authoring, approval workflows, metadata, content types, and more. Using it as a simple file dump wastes potential.

Fix: Invest time learning SharePoint capabilities. Implement features that address real pain points. Start simple, add sophistication as users mature.

Mistake 5: No Archival Strategy

Old content accumulates. Outdated documents mislead. Clutter makes finding current information harder.

Fix: Establish retention guidelines. Archive or delete outdated content regularly. Use versioning but don’t keep versions indefinitely.

Integrating Your SharePoint Site with Other Tools

Microsoft Teams

For Team Sites, you can create or connect a Microsoft Teams team:

1. From the SharePoint site, click Settings > Add Microsoft Teams
2. Or from Teams, create a team from an existing Microsoft 365 Group

Files shared in Teams channels are stored in SharePoint. The integration is seamless—your team can work in whichever interface they prefer.

Power Automate

Automate routine tasks with Power Automate flows:

• Send notifications when documents are added or modified
• Route documents for approval
• Copy files between libraries or sites
• Update metadata automatically
• Sync data with other systems

Power Automate transforms SharePoint from storage into workflow.

Power Apps

Build custom applications that read and write SharePoint data. Create forms, inventory systems, request trackers, and more—without traditional development.

Outlook

Document libraries can be linked to Outlook for email notifications. News can be sent as email digests. Calendar events can sync.

Managing Your Site Long-Term

Regular Maintenance Tasks

• Monthly: Review permissions, archive old content, check for broken links
• Quarterly: Assess site usage (analytics), gather user feedback, update stale content
• Annually: Evaluate site purpose, consider restructuring, review governance alignment

Monitoring Site Usage

SharePoint provides usage analytics:

1. Click Settings > Site usage
2. Review unique viewers, site visits, and popular content

Low usage may indicate discoverability problems, user training needs, or a site that’s no longer necessary.

Handling Site Ownership Changes

When site owners leave the organization or change roles:

1. Ensure another owner exists before removing the departing owner
2. Update the Microsoft 365 Group membership if applicable
3. Review and update any automated workflows that reference the former owner
4. Communicate ownership changes to site users

Next Steps

You now know how to create SharePoint sites and set them up for success. The real work is ongoing: maintaining content quality, evolving structure to meet changing needs, and helping users get value from the platform.

Start with one well-planned site. Learn what works. Apply those lessons to the next site. Over time, you’ll develop organizational knowledge about what makes SharePoint effective for your specific context.

Related Resources:

• Modern Intranet Best Practices in 2025
• Intranet Homepage Design Best Practices for Higher Adoption
• What Is PIMS in Project Management?

Need help planning or building your SharePoint environment? Nexinite helps organizations design SharePoint architectures that support real collaboration—not just file storage. Get in touch to discuss your requirements.