Your SharePoint homepage is the first thing most people see when they open the intranet. It's where news lands, where tools get launched and where a lot of people decide whether the intranet is worth their time. Yet plenty of homepages still look much like they did on the day they were created.
That's why we're launching The Intranet Refresh - a new short video series where we take a standard SharePoint Online homepage and refresh it one upgrade at a time with Accelerator 365 apps. No custom code, no rebuild from scratch - just practical improvements on top of the SharePoint you already have.
Why we're refreshing a standard SharePoint homepage
Out of the box, SharePoint gives you a solid foundation: pages, news, web parts and Microsoft 365 integration. What it doesn't always give you is the finishing layer that makes a homepage feel personal, useful and easy to come back to.
We hear the same questions from intranet owners and internal comms teams again and again. How do we make the homepage feel less generic? How do people find the tools they use every day? How do we get important messages noticed? The Intranet Refresh answers those questions visually, on a real SharePoint homepage, so you can see exactly what changes.
Inside each episode of The Intranet Refresh
Each episode is a short vertical video, about a minute long, built around one simple idea:
- We start with a standard SharePoint homepage.
- We add one Accelerator 365 app and show how it helps.
- We show the before and after, so the difference is easy to see.
Every episode builds on the last. By the end of the series, the same SharePoint intranet homepage looks and works very differently - and every change along the way is something you could set up on your own site.
What's coming up in the series
Here's a look at the upgrades we add to the homepage across the series.
A first look at the before and after
The intro episode puts a standard SharePoint homepage side by side with the same page refreshed with Accelerator 365 apps, and gives a quick preview of every upgrade to come.
A personal welcome
Welcome greets each person by name, with their local time, weather and the news meant for them. Learn more about Welcome
Everyday links in one place
Launchpad brings frequently used links and tools onto the homepage, with defaults set by comms and personal links for everyone else. Learn more about Launchpad
Messages people can't miss
Spotlight puts one call to action at the top of the page until each person has acted on it. Learn more about Spotlight
Profiles people actually complete
User Profile prompts people to fill in missing profile details, so people search across SharePoint becomes more useful. Learn more about User Profile
The right people, one click away
My Contacts shows your key colleagues on the homepage, with search, filters and one-click email, call or Teams chat. Learn more about My Contacts
Celebrations everyone sees
Anniversaries brings birthdays and work anniversaries to the homepage, straight from Microsoft 365 profiles. Learn more about Anniversaries
The start of the working day
My Emails, My Calendar, Poll and Stock Price bring the first few things people check each morning into one place. Explore the Digital Workplace apps
A guided tour of what's new
Page Tour walks visitors through the refreshed homepage, one highlighted step at a time. Learn more about Page Tour
Who the series is for
The Intranet Refresh is made for anyone responsible for a SharePoint intranet - intranet managers, internal communications teams, content owners and the IT and SharePoint admins who support them. If you've been looking for practical ideas to improve your SharePoint homepage without starting a big project, this series is for you.
Where to watch The Intranet Refresh
The full series is now available as Shorts on our YouTube channel, and new episodes are rolling out on our LinkedIn page.
- YouTube: Watch the full playlist and subscribe for more SharePoint and Microsoft 365 tips.
- LinkedIn: Follow Accelerator 365 by Reply to catch each episode as it airs.
Start refreshing your SharePoint homepage
Whether you're planning a full intranet refresh or just want a few quick wins, The Intranet Refresh is a simple way to see what's possible on your SharePoint homepage. Watch the series from the start, see how the homepage changes and pick the upgrades that make sense for your team.
Frequently asked questions
What is The Intranet Refresh?
It's a short video series from Accelerator 365 that shows how to refresh a standard SharePoint Online homepage one app at a time, with a before-and-after in every episode.
Do I need a developer to make these changes?
No. Every upgrade in the series uses Accelerator 365 apps, which are added and configured as web parts on your SharePoint page.
Does this replace SharePoint?
No. Accelerator 365 apps work on top of SharePoint Online and Microsoft 365, adding features to the intranet you already have.
