Site Architecture: Hub Sites, Communication Sites, and Team Sites

Creating a well-structured and scalable site architecture in SharePoint is key to maintaining organised content, enhancing collaboration, and supporting your business as it grows. Whether you’re setting up your SharePoint environment from scratch or re-evaluating your current structure, it’s important to understand the foundational blocks of SharePoint sites. This guide will walk you through the key site types, how to organise them effectively with hub sites, and tips for planning a future-ready architecture.

An Overview of SharePoint Site Types

SharePoint offers three main types of sites, each serving a distinct purpose:

Hub Sites

Hub sites act as the glue that holds your SharePoint environment together. They provide a way to group related sites into a centralised structure, offering a unified navigation experience and shared branding. Administrators can link multiple team and communication sites to a hub, making it easier to manage related content across departments or projects.

Team Sites

Team sites are collaboration workspaces designed for smaller groups to share files, tasks, and discussions. These sites are typically connected to a Microsoft 365 group, giving teams access to tools like Planner and Outlook. A great example is a marketing department’s team site where members collaborate on campaigns, share design files, and track to-dos.

Communication Sites

Communication sites focus on broadcasting information to a broader audience. They’re ideal for company-wide announcements, training resources, or employee handbooks. Unlike team sites, communication sites are not collaboration-focused, making them perfect for leaders or departments to share updates with the entire organisation.

Using Hub Sites to Organise and Unify Related Content

Hub sites are central to building a logical and scalable site structure. Here’s how you can leverage this feature:

1. Create a Logical Hierarchy: Think of hub sites as the big umbrella under which your team and communication sites operate. For example, a corporate hub site can link all department-level team sites like HR, IT, and Sales.
2. Unified Navigation: A hub site provides consistent navigation across linked sites, helping users easily find related information. This streamlines the user experience and reduces time spent searching for content.
3. Consistent Look and Feel: Hub sites allow you to apply shared branding—colours, logos, and themes—across all connected sites, maintaining a cohesive identity.
4. Centralised News and Activity: News posts made on sites connected to the hub can be aggregated and displayed on the hub site’s homepage, offering a consolidated view of updates and activities.

Pro Tip:

Before creating a hub site, map out your organisational structure and group related sites based on functions, projects, or business processes. For instance, a “Projects Hub” could connect various project-specific team sites for better alignment and visibility.

When to Use Communication vs Team Sites

Determining the right site type depends on how your team intends to use it. Here’s a quick comparison to help you decide:

When to Choose Communication Sites:

Use a communication site if you need to:

• Broadcast news about company-wide events.
• Share static content like training manuals.
• Publish resources that don’t require collaboration.

When to Choose Team Sites:

Opt for a team site if you need to:

• Share and edit files collaboratively.
• Manage team-specific tasks and projects.
• Host ongoing discussions within a department or group.

Tips for Naming Conventions and URL Planning

An effective naming convention and URL strategy provide clarity and consistency, reducing confusion among users and improving searchability. Here are some best practices:

1. Keep Names Short but Descriptive: Long site names can create cluttered navigation. Use concise terms like “HR Hub” instead of “Human Resources Centralised Hub Site.”
2. Create a Naming Standard: Establish rules for naming different site types. For example:

• Hub sites start with “HUB-” (e.g., HUB-Operations).
• Communication sites begin with “COM-” (e.g., COM-News).
• Team sites include the team name (e.g., “Marketing-Team”).

3. Align URLs to Names: Site URLs should mirror the site’s name for easy recall, e.g., companyname.sharepoint.com/sites/hr-hub.
4. Avoid Using Spaces or Special Characters: Stick to dashes or underscores for URLs to ensure compatibility.
5. Document Your Conventions: Share your naming rules with site creators to maintain consistency across your environment.

Designing with the Future in Mind

Scalability and flexibility are critical when structuring your SharePoint environment. What works for your team today might not suit your organisation two years down the line. Here’s how to plan for growth:

1. Start with a Clear Foundation: Use hub sites to establish a modular structure. New team or communication sites can easily be linked as your organisation expands.
2. Plan for Departmental Splits: Assume that departments may grow or evolve. A standalone “Finance” hub can eventually accommodate related sub-sites like “Payroll” or “Budgeting.”
3. Use Metadata to Avoid Overcomplication: Instead of creating a new site for every topic, leverage metadata and filtering to surface specific information within existing sites.
4. Review Periodically: Perform regular audits of your site collections to ensure they remain organised and relevant. Remove outdated or unused sites to declutter your environment.
5. Leverage Search Integration: Use SharePoint’s advanced search capabilities to help users find content across sites. This feature becomes invaluable as the number of sites grows.

A Future-Forward SharePoint Site Structure

A well-planned site architecture ensures that your SharePoint environment grows with your business. Whether you’re managing team collaboration or broadcasting company updates, hub sites, communication sites, and team sites each play a unique role in your success.

Start by analysing your current structure, defining clear naming conventions, and creating a hub structure that mirrors your organisation’s hierarchy. Remember, what you design today should serve as a foundation that supports tomorrow’s challenges.

What will your SharePoint architecture look like in five years? Begin planning now, and design a system that thrives as your business grows!