Why a Great Intranet Search Is Critical (Especially Now)
By SimplifyIT | Published
If Your Staff Can't Find It, It Doesn't Exist
The number one reason intranets get ignored? People stop finding what they need. The longer it takes to locate a policy, procedure, or form, the more likely someone picks up the phone or skips it entirely. Multiply that across departments, and your intranet becomes shelfware.
Search Isn't Just a Feature - It's the Core
When employees say "the intranet's useless," what they usually mean is "I searched and found nothing helpful." A great intranet search brings together documents, posts, forms, and tools across teams - even if they're stored in different formats or folders. It becomes the one place staff go without hesitation.
Financial Institutions Have Unique Needs
In banks and credit unions, internal knowledge can live in procedures, PDFs, FAQs, legacy platforms, or even someone's desktop. A strong search engine understands synonyms (e.g., "ACH" vs. "electronic transfer"), recognizes context (loan vs. credit card), and returns results *relevant* to the user's department.
Why Your Default Search Probably Isn't Enough
Many out-of-the-box intranet platforms rely on basic keyword matching or outdated indexers (that sometimes don't finish running!). They don't include attachments, tags, usage history, or advanced filtering. That's why modern intranets (like ours) often include smarter engines - so your team gets instant, meaningful answers.
Bonus: It Helps You Keep Content Fresh
Good search engines track what's being searched - and what's *not* being found. That gives admins insight into what content is missing or outdated. It turns the intranet from a junk drawer into a precision tool.
Conclusion
Your intranet is only as useful as its search. If your staff is frustrated, confused, or ignoring it, you don't need more content - you need better search. We can help. Reach out to see how SimplifyIT builds intranets people actually use.
