Your Intranet Launch Checklist
Use this checklist before launching your intranet to make sure the main areas are ready for employees.
The goal is not to have every page finished. The goal is to make sure people can open the intranet, understand where to go, and find the most important information on day one.
Before launch, check these areas
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Launch date and audience are confirmed
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Homepage is ready
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Navigation is clear
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Key links and pages have been tested
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Test content has been removed
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Content owners are assigned
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Help or feedback options are easy to find
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A launch message is ready
Confirm what is launching
Start by confirming what employees will see on day one.
You do not need every page or section to be complete before launch. Focus on the main areas employees will need first, such as news, HR resources, forms, policies, events, or department pages.
Review the homepage
The homepage should make it clear where employees should start.
Check that the homepage includes:
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A clear welcome or launch message
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Important news or announcements
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Quick links to common resources
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A simple way to get help or send feedback
Keep the homepage simple. It should guide employees, not show everything at once.
Review navigation and links
Employees should be able to find key information without guessing.
Before launch, check that:
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Navigation labels are easy to understand
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Important links are not buried too deeply
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Links open correctly
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Old, duplicate, or test links are removed
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Targeted links show to the right people, if targeting is being used
Clean up content
Before sharing the site more widely, remove anything that is not ready for employees.
Check for:
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Test pages
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Placeholder text
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Draft content
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Broken links
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Missing images
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Outdated files or documents
It is better to launch with fewer finished pages than too many incomplete ones.
Confirm owners and support
Make sure someone owns the intranet after launch.
At minimum, confirm:
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Who owns the homepage
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Who updates news or announcements
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Who owns key department content
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Where users should send questions or feedback
This helps keep the intranet from becoming outdated after launch.
Prepare the launch message
Send a short message to employees when the intranet is ready.
The message should explain:
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What the intranet is for
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Where to start
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What users can find there
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Where to send questions or feedback
Keep the message short. Most users only need to know what changed and where to go first.
Final check
Before launch, open the site as a regular user and click through the main areas.
If the homepage, navigation, key links, and support options are clear, the intranet is ready to launch.