Content Migration Done Right: Best Practices for Intranet Owners

Migrating an intranet isn’t just a technical exercise – it’s largely about moving content. After all, an intranet’s value comes from its content (documents, pages, news, etc.) that employees rely on daily.

One of the biggest mistakes in an intranet migration is to simply lift and shift everything as-is. Without a strategy for content migration, you risk cluttering your new intranet with outdated or irrelevant information. This can undermine your fresh start on a new platform.

For intranet owners, content migration is the perfect opportunity to clean house and set up your new platform for success.

Start with a Thorough Content Audit

Before you even think about copying content over, take inventory of what you have. Conducting a content audit is an essential first step. Start by gathering a list of your current content inventory. This can include all sites, pages, documents, and other existing content on your current intranet to evaluate each item’s relevance and quality.

It’s helpful to involve content owners or representatives from each department to perform a content audit. They will know which information is current and what can be retired. As you audit, mark each item as Keep (it’s relevant, perhaps needs an update) or Discard (archive or delete if no longer needed). This practice, sometimes called removing ROT (Redundant, Outdated, Trivial content), ensures you only migrate valuable information.

Document your findings in a spreadsheet or audit tool. Note each item’s owner, last updated date, and the action to take (update it, merge it, or don’t migrate it). This effort might be time-consuming, but it gives you a clear picture of what content truly needs to move to the new intranet and what can be left behind.

Clean Up and Organize Your Content

With your audit complete, it’s time to clean up and organize. For each piece of content you plan to keep, make sure it’s accurate and current. Update outdated information now and eliminate duplicates (so only one up-to-date version of each document moves forward).

Next, map your cleaned content to the structure of your new intranet. Decide where each page or file will live in the new navigation or libraries. If the new platform allows it, add tags or metadata to content to improve searchability.

Also, assign a content owner for each section or page on the new intranet to ensure someone is responsible for keeping it updated. Taking these steps will ensure your intranet launches with well-organized, easy-to-find information instead of carrying over clutter.

Choose the Right Content Migration Tools and Approach

How you migrate content can be just as important as what you migrate. Here are a few approaches to consider:

• Manual migration: For smaller intranets or highly curated content, manually copying content to the new platform gives you full control. This approach is slower, but it lets you review and refine each page or document as you move it.
• Automated migration: For large volumes of content or platform moves, migration tools or scripts can save time. The right tool will transfer files and pages in bulk and preserve attributes like authors, dates, and tags. Always test your chosen tool on a subset of content first to ensure everything transfers correctly.
• Hybrid approach: Often the ideal solution is a mix of both manual and automated methods. For example, you might bulk-migrate large document libraries with a tool, but manually rebuild high-priority pages to optimize them for the new intranet.

Migrate in stages: Rather than moving everything at once, migrate content in batches. After each batch, verify that everything transferred correctly and fix any issues (broken links, formatting) before moving on. This phased approach makes troubleshooting much easier.

Utilize Frameworks and Resources

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Our Intranet Migration Guide eBook provides a complete content migration framework – including tool recommendations, templates, and checklists – to help you cover all the bases. Use these resources to save time and avoid costly mistakes during your migration project.

A clean, well-structured intranet from day one will set the tone for success. When employees log into the new platform and find up-to-date, organized information, they’ll trust and engage with it. The effort you invest in content migration now will pay off in higher adoption and easier information discovery.

Ready to migrate your intranet content with confidence?

Be sure to download our free Intranet Migration Guide eBook for a detailed migration checklist and expert tool recommendations to guide you through the process.