©1985
Communication Sites*
Whether it’s through stunning designs seamless user experiences, I’m dedicated to delivering work that resonates.
Topic
DIGITAL MACGYVER
©85
On a SharePoint communication site can share news, reports, status, and other information in a visually appealing format.
If you need a site for storing files and data that your team will work on together, use a Team Site instead.
Introduction
SharePoint communication sites are a powerful feature in Microsoft 365 designed for broadcasting information to a broad audience. On a SharePoint communication site, you can share news, reports, status, and other information in a visually appealing format. These sites are responsive, meaning they can be viewed from anywhere on any device, making them ideal for disseminating content across an organization.
If you need a site for storing files and data that your team will work on together, use a Team Site instead, as communication sites are more focused on one-way information sharing rather than collaborative editing.
What is a SharePoint Communication Site?
A communication site is a type of SharePoint site optimized for sharing content with many users, such as announcements, updates, or resources. Typically, a small group of contributors creates and manages the content, while a larger audience consumes it without editing privileges. Unlike team sites, creating a communication site does not automatically generate a Microsoft 365 group, and it relies on SharePoint groups for permissions.
Key characteristics include:
Broadcast Focus: Suited for portals, department sites, or company-wide announcements.
Visual Appeal: Supports web parts like Hero, News, Events, and Image Galleries to make content engaging.
No Additional Integrations: Does not come with tools like Planner, OneNote, or Teams by default, keeping it lightweight for information dissemination.
Differences from Team Sites
Communication sites and team sites serve different purposes in SharePoint. Here's a comparison:
Aspect
Communication Site
Team Site (Group-Connected)
Team Site (Not Group-Connected)
Primary Use
Broadcasting information to a large audience (e.g., news, policies).
Collaborative work on projects with team members editing content.
Team Site (Not Group-Connected)
Content Creation
Small number of authors; many readers.
All members as authors.
Defined group of authors; varied permissions per element.
Permissions
SharePoint Groups; external sharing disabled by default.
Microsoft 365 Groups; external sharing enabled by default.
SharePoint Groups; highly flexible and granular.
Integrations
None (just SharePoint).
Planner, OneNote, Teams, shared mailbox/calendar.
Native SharePoint features only (e.g., lists, Power Automate).
Navigation
Top navigation by default.
Left navigation by default.
Left (changeable to top).
When Created
No Microsoft 365 group.
Creates a Microsoft 365 group.
No group; pure SharePoint site.
Team sites are better for ongoing collaboration, while communication sites excel at finalized content sharing. For example, draft content in a team site and publish it to a communication site for broader viewing.
Available Templates
When creating a communication site, you can choose from several templates to get started quickly:
Standard Communication Site:
Purpose: Ideal for sharing news, events, and general content.
Features: Includes Hero web part (up to 5 items with images), News, Events, and Documents web parts. Pre-configured for quick customization.
Showcase Site:
Purpose: Focuses on visual storytelling, such as showcasing products, teams, or events.
Features: Hero web part with Tile or Layer layouts, plus Image Gallery for photo collections.
Blank Site:
Purpose: For fully custom designs from scratch.
Features: No pre-added web parts; add your own via the Toolbox. Choose a page layout and build navigation, themes, and content as needed.
All templates support multilingual features and can be customized further after creation.
How to Create a Communication Site
To create a communication site:
Sign in to Microsoft 365 and navigate to the SharePoint home page.
Click + Create site and select Communication site.
Choose a template (Standard, Showcase, or Blank).
Enter a Site name and Site description.
If enabled, select a Site classification (e.g., for sensitivity or lifecycle).
Choose a default language (cannot be changed later).
Click Create site.
Notes:
If self-service site creation is disabled, contact your admin.
Associate with a hub site for better navigation by starting from the hub.
After creation, share the site via Settings > Site Permissions > Share site, assigning Read, Edit, or Full Control access.
Best Use Cases
Company Intranet or Portals: Share organization-wide news, HR benefits, or policies.
Department Sites: Broadcast updates, events, or resources to employees.
Project Showcases: Highlight completed work, products, or team achievements.
Announcements: Engage large audiences with visually rich content like images and events.
For collaboration-heavy scenarios (e.g., joint editing of documents), opt for a team site instead.
Maintenance Tips
Regularly review and update content for accuracy.
Post news frequently and monitor analytics for engagement.
Check links, web parts, and site settings periodically.
Use edit mode to customize, save drafts, or republish changes.
For more advanced features, refer to Microsoft's documentation on moving from classic publishing sites or integrating with other Microsoft 365 tools.
External links:
SharePoint Articles
DIGITAL MACGYVER
©85
B
Business Connectivity Services (BCS)
C
Content Pane
D
L
Learn (SharePoint)
Lists
Lookbook (SharePoint)
M
P
PnP PowerShell
PnP Provisioning
S cont.
SharePoint Articles
SharePoint Modernization Scanner
SharePoint News
SharePoint Premium
SharePoint RSS
SharePoint Search
SharePoint Search Query Tool
Site Collection App Catalog
SharePoint Web UI kit
Site Columns
Site Footer
Site Provisioning
Sites
Sites and Site Collections
SPFx Extensions
SPFx Vs Traditional Tool Chain Comparison
T
Let's Work Together
DIGITAL MACGYVER
©85
Contact Now
Contact Me!
Let’s create something amazing together! Reach out I’d love to hear about your project and ideas.
Get your discovery call scheduled
Get your discovery call scheduled
Limited openings available
Limited openings available
©1985
Communication Sites*
Whether it’s through stunning designs or seamless user experiences, I’m dedicated to delivering work that inspires and resonates.
Topic
©85
On a SharePoint communication site can share news, reports, status, and other information in a visually appealing format.
If you need a site for storing files and data that your team will work on together, use a Team Site instead.
Introduction
SharePoint communication sites are a powerful feature in Microsoft 365 designed for broadcasting information to a broad audience. On a SharePoint communication site, you can share news, reports, status, and other information in a visually appealing format. These sites are responsive, meaning they can be viewed from anywhere on any device, making them ideal for disseminating content across an organization.
If you need a site for storing files and data that your team will work on together, use a Team Site instead, as communication sites are more focused on one-way information sharing rather than collaborative editing.
What is a SharePoint Communication Site?
A communication site is a type of SharePoint site optimized for sharing content with many users, such as announcements, updates, or resources. Typically, a small group of contributors creates and manages the content, while a larger audience consumes it without editing privileges. Unlike team sites, creating a communication site does not automatically generate a Microsoft 365 group, and it relies on SharePoint groups for permissions.
Key characteristics include:
Broadcast Focus: Suited for portals, department sites, or company-wide announcements.
Visual Appeal: Supports web parts like Hero, News, Events, and Image Galleries to make content engaging.
No Additional Integrations: Does not come with tools like Planner, OneNote, or Teams by default, keeping it lightweight for information dissemination.
Differences from Team Sites
Communication sites and team sites serve different purposes in SharePoint. Here's a comparison:
Aspect
Communication Site
Team Site (Group-Connected)
Team Site (Not Group-Connected)
Primary Use
Broadcasting information to a large audience (e.g., news, policies).
Collaborative work on projects with team members editing content.
Team Site (Not Group-Connected)
Content Creation
Small number of authors; many readers.
All members as authors.
Defined group of authors; varied permissions per element.
Permissions
SharePoint Groups; external sharing disabled by default.
Microsoft 365 Groups; external sharing enabled by default.
SharePoint Groups; highly flexible and granular.
Integrations
None (just SharePoint).
Planner, OneNote, Teams, shared mailbox/calendar.
Native SharePoint features only (e.g., lists, Power Automate).
Navigation
Top navigation by default.
Left navigation by default.
Left (changeable to top).
When Created
No Microsoft 365 group.
Creates a Microsoft 365 group.
No group; pure SharePoint site.
Team sites are better for ongoing collaboration, while communication sites excel at finalized content sharing. For example, draft content in a team site and publish it to a communication site for broader viewing.
Available Templates
When creating a communication site, you can choose from several templates to get started quickly:
Standard Communication Site:
Purpose: Ideal for sharing news, events, and general content.
Features: Includes Hero web part (up to 5 items with images), News, Events, and Documents web parts. Pre-configured for quick customization.
Showcase Site:
Purpose: Focuses on visual storytelling, such as showcasing products, teams, or events.
Features: Hero web part with Tile or Layer layouts, plus Image Gallery for photo collections.
Blank Site:
Purpose: For fully custom designs from scratch.
Features: No pre-added web parts; add your own via the Toolbox. Choose a page layout and build navigation, themes, and content as needed.
All templates support multilingual features and can be customized further after creation.
How to Create a Communication Site
To create a communication site:
Sign in to Microsoft 365 and navigate to the SharePoint home page.
Click + Create site and select Communication site.
Choose a template (Standard, Showcase, or Blank).
Enter a Site name and Site description.
If enabled, select a Site classification (e.g., for sensitivity or lifecycle).
Choose a default language (cannot be changed later).
Click Create site.
Notes:
If self-service site creation is disabled, contact your admin.
Associate with a hub site for better navigation by starting from the hub.
After creation, share the site via Settings > Site Permissions > Share site, assigning Read, Edit, or Full Control access.
Best Use Cases
Company Intranet or Portals: Share organization-wide news, HR benefits, or policies.
Department Sites: Broadcast updates, events, or resources to employees.
Project Showcases: Highlight completed work, products, or team achievements.
Announcements: Engage large audiences with visually rich content like images and events.
For collaboration-heavy scenarios (e.g., joint editing of documents), opt for a team site instead.
Maintenance Tips
Regularly review and update content for accuracy.
Post news frequently and monitor analytics for engagement.
Check links, web parts, and site settings periodically.
Use edit mode to customize, save drafts, or republish changes.
For more advanced features, refer to Microsoft's documentation on moving from classic publishing sites or integrating with other Microsoft 365 tools.
External links:
SharePoint Articles
©85
B
Business Connectivity Services (BCS)
C
Content Pane
D
L
Learn (SharePoint)
Lists
Lookbook (SharePoint)
M
P
PnP PowerShell
PnP Provisioning
S cont.
SharePoint Articles
SharePoint Modernization Scanner
SharePoint News
SharePoint Premium
SharePoint RSS
SharePoint Search
SharePoint Search Query Tool
Site Collection App Catalog
SharePoint Web UI kit
Site Columns
Site Footer
Site Provisioning
Sites
Sites and Site Collections
SPFx Extensions
SPFx Vs Traditional Tool Chain Comparison
T
Let's Work Together
©85
Contact Now
Contact Me!
Let’s create something amazing together! Reach out I’d love to hear about your project and ideas.
Get your discovery call scheduled
Limited openings available
©1985
Communication Sites*
Whether it’s through stunning designs or seamless user experiences, I’m dedicated to delivering work that inspires and resonates.
Topic
DIGITAL MACGYVER
©85
On a SharePoint communication site can share news, reports, status, and other information in a visually appealing format.
If you need a site for storing files and data that your team will work on together, use a Team Site instead.
Introduction
SharePoint communication sites are a powerful feature in Microsoft 365 designed for broadcasting information to a broad audience. On a SharePoint communication site, you can share news, reports, status, and other information in a visually appealing format. These sites are responsive, meaning they can be viewed from anywhere on any device, making them ideal for disseminating content across an organization.
If you need a site for storing files and data that your team will work on together, use a Team Site instead, as communication sites are more focused on one-way information sharing rather than collaborative editing.
What is a SharePoint Communication Site?
A communication site is a type of SharePoint site optimized for sharing content with many users, such as announcements, updates, or resources. Typically, a small group of contributors creates and manages the content, while a larger audience consumes it without editing privileges. Unlike team sites, creating a communication site does not automatically generate a Microsoft 365 group, and it relies on SharePoint groups for permissions.
Key characteristics include:
Broadcast Focus: Suited for portals, department sites, or company-wide announcements.
Visual Appeal: Supports web parts like Hero, News, Events, and Image Galleries to make content engaging.
No Additional Integrations: Does not come with tools like Planner, OneNote, or Teams by default, keeping it lightweight for information dissemination.
Differences from Team Sites
Communication sites and team sites serve different purposes in SharePoint. Here's a comparison:
Aspect
Communication Site
Team Site (Group-Connected)
Team Site (Not Group-Connected)
Primary Use
Broadcasting information to a large audience (e.g., news, policies).
Collaborative work on projects with team members editing content.
Team Site (Not Group-Connected)
Content Creation
Small number of authors; many readers.
All members as authors.
Defined group of authors; varied permissions per element.
Permissions
SharePoint Groups; external sharing disabled by default.
Microsoft 365 Groups; external sharing enabled by default.
SharePoint Groups; highly flexible and granular.
Integrations
None (just SharePoint).
Planner, OneNote, Teams, shared mailbox/calendar.
Native SharePoint features only (e.g., lists, Power Automate).
Navigation
Top navigation by default.
Left navigation by default.
Left (changeable to top).
When Created
No Microsoft 365 group.
Creates a Microsoft 365 group.
No group; pure SharePoint site.
Team sites are better for ongoing collaboration, while communication sites excel at finalized content sharing. For example, draft content in a team site and publish it to a communication site for broader viewing.
Available Templates
When creating a communication site, you can choose from several templates to get started quickly:
Standard Communication Site:
Purpose: Ideal for sharing news, events, and general content.
Features: Includes Hero web part (up to 5 items with images), News, Events, and Documents web parts. Pre-configured for quick customization.
Showcase Site:
Purpose: Focuses on visual storytelling, such as showcasing products, teams, or events.
Features: Hero web part with Tile or Layer layouts, plus Image Gallery for photo collections.
Blank Site:
Purpose: For fully custom designs from scratch.
Features: No pre-added web parts; add your own via the Toolbox. Choose a page layout and build navigation, themes, and content as needed.
All templates support multilingual features and can be customized further after creation.
How to Create a Communication Site
To create a communication site:
Sign in to Microsoft 365 and navigate to the SharePoint home page.
Click + Create site and select Communication site.
Choose a template (Standard, Showcase, or Blank).
Enter a Site name and Site description.
If enabled, select a Site classification (e.g., for sensitivity or lifecycle).
Choose a default language (cannot be changed later).
Click Create site.
Notes:
If self-service site creation is disabled, contact your admin.
Associate with a hub site for better navigation by starting from the hub.
After creation, share the site via Settings > Site Permissions > Share site, assigning Read, Edit, or Full Control access.
Best Use Cases
Company Intranet or Portals: Share organization-wide news, HR benefits, or policies.
Department Sites: Broadcast updates, events, or resources to employees.
Project Showcases: Highlight completed work, products, or team achievements.
Announcements: Engage large audiences with visually rich content like images and events.
For collaboration-heavy scenarios (e.g., joint editing of documents), opt for a team site instead.
Maintenance Tips
Regularly review and update content for accuracy.
Post news frequently and monitor analytics for engagement.
Check links, web parts, and site settings periodically.
Use edit mode to customize, save drafts, or republish changes.
For more advanced features, refer to Microsoft's documentation on moving from classic publishing sites or integrating with other Microsoft 365 tools.
External links:
SharePoint Articles
DIGITAL MACGYVER
©85
B
Business Connectivity Services (BCS)
C
Content Pane
D
L
Learn (SharePoint)
Lists
Lookbook (SharePoint)
M
P
PnP PowerShell
PnP Provisioning
S cont.
SharePoint Articles
SharePoint Modernization Scanner
SharePoint News
SharePoint Premium
SharePoint RSS
SharePoint Search
SharePoint Search Query Tool
Site Collection App Catalog
SharePoint Web UI kit
Site Columns
Site Footer
Site Provisioning
Sites
Sites and Site Collections
SPFx Extensions
SPFx Vs Traditional Tool Chain Comparison
T
Let's Work Together
DIGITAL MACGYVER
©85
Contact Now
Contact Me!
Let’s create something amazing together! Reach out I’d love to hear about your project and ideas.
Get your discovery call scheduled
Limited openings available