How to create your first SharePoint site

Sometimes we need software to help keep all of our documents in one safe location. Learn how to create a SharePoint in this short guide.

SharePoint is Microsoft’s collaborative server software that gives users tools to share their data and documents within their company’s private network. Typically files are sent through the company via intranet sites. With SharePoint, multiple departments have control over their workgroups, data, documents, and security.

Usually, SharePoint is used to store documents that use version control, such as Excel worksheets and Word documents. In most environments, users send emails between each other as a form of relayed communication. But, this can lead to a mix up of different documents via that method. And, having multiple copies of one document will take up a lot of the company’s storage space. Since SharePoint gives one source for updating, viewing, and storing documents, these problems are eliminated.

Since SharePoint works with almost any document file, it’s used to store and consolidate different document types (schematics, videos, project drawings, workbooks, photographs, etc) that are needed for larger projects that need multiple teams to work together.

How to make a SharePoint site

Follow these steps to learn how to create a SharePoint site:

  1. Press the settings icon and then press Site Contents
  2. Select ‘New Subsite’ in order to make a New SharePoint Site
  3. Write in the Description and Title section in order to name your new site
  4. Create a site name that’s unique and is relevant to your company
  5. Click ‘Team Site Template’ if you want to create a template for your site (Note: You don’t have to use a template as you can use one of your own. And you can change the template when using the site)
  6. Decide if you want the site to be placed on the top navigation by pressing Yes or No on the radio button
  7. Decide if the top link navigation is going to be the same as the parent site. Press Yes or No button
  8. Press ‘Create’ to finally make the site.

Each SharePoint site has smaller sites that are contained inside of it similar to that of a hierarchy system. Placed on the top of each hierarchy is the main site that’s called a Site Collection. Administering and Creating a Site Collection uses special permissions. Subsites are placed under Site Collections.

Now, you’ve just learned how to create a sharepoint site for whatever project your team is working on. There isn’t much of a difference when using Site Collection or a Subsite. To your users, both of them act and look the same. The only differences are in their features, navigation, and security settings.

Conclusion

When making a SharePoint site, you want to make sure that it suits the project you and your team is working on. Even if it’s not used for professional reasons, you’ll find that SharePoint sites are easier to use either by yourself or with hundreds of people. Ultimately, learn how to make a SharePoint site so that you can remain organised and reach better project success.

Ben Lobel

Ben Lobel

Ben Lobel was the editor of SmallBusiness.co.uk from 2010 to 2018. He specialises in writing for start-up and scale-up companies in the areas of finance, marketing and HR.

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