SharePoint Hub Sites: Building Connected Experiences

What Are SharePoint Hub Sites?

Hub sites are the architectural backbone of modern SharePoint, providing a way to organize and connect related sites into a cohesive family. Think of hub sites as the organizational glue that brings together sites that share a common purpose, project, region, or business function.

Why Hub Sites Matter

Before Hub Sites

Organizations struggled with:

• Disconnected sites with no relationship
• Duplicate navigation across similar sites
• Inconsistent branding and look
• Search limited to individual sites
• No roll-up of news and content

With Hub Sites

You gain:

• Connected navigation across associated sites
• Consistent branding and theming
• Aggregated news from all associated sites
• Cross-site search within the hub
• Simplified governance

Hub Site Architecture Patterns

Departmental Hubs

Use Case: Organize sites by business function

Structure:

• IT Department Hub
• Help Desk Site
• Infrastructure Team Site
• Security Team Site
• Projects Sites

Benefits:

• Clear ownership
• Relevant aggregated news
• Department-specific navigation

Geographic Hubs

Use Case: Global organizations with regional operations

Structure:

• North America Hub
• US Operations Site
• Canada Operations Site
• Regional Projects

Benefits:

• Regional news aggregation
• Localized navigation
• Time zone-appropriate content

Project/Initiative Hubs

Use Case: Large projects spanning multiple teams

Structure:

• Product Launch Hub
• Marketing Site
• Engineering Site
• Sales Enablement Site
• Customer Support Prep

Benefits:

• Cross-functional visibility
• Project-wide search
• Unified communications

Topic-Based Hubs

Use Case: Organize by subject matter expertise

Structure:

• Innovation Hub
• Research Team Site
• Ideas Portal
• Patent Documentation
• Innovation Projects

Benefits:

• Knowledge aggregation
• Expert community building
• Cross-pollination of ideas

Planning Your Hub Strategy

Assessment Questions

Before creating hubs, answer these questions:

• What are your organizational groupings?
• Departments, regions, projects, functions?

• How do users think about content?
• By team, topic, geography, project?

• What content needs to roll up?
• News, documents, events?

• Who will govern each hub?
• IT, business owners, shared?

• How deep should hierarchies go?
• Recommendation: 2 levels maximum

Designing Hub Hierarchy

Keep It Flat

SharePoint supports hub-to-hub associations, but simpler is better:

✅ Good: 2-level hierarchy (Hub → Associated Sites)

❌ Avoid: Deep nesting (Hub → Sub-hub → Sub-sub-hub)

Example Good Architecture:

```

Intranet Home

├── HR Hub

│ ├── Benefits Site

│ ├── Recruiting Site

│ └── Training Site

├── Finance Hub

│ ├── Accounting Site

│ ├── FP&A Site

│ └── Treasury Site

└── Operations Hub

├── Facilities Site

├── Supply Chain Site

└── Manufacturing Site

```

Creating and Configuring Hub Sites

Step 1: Register as Hub Site

In SharePoint Admin Center:

• Select the site to become a hub
• Choose "Register as hub site"
• Name the hub
• Define who can associate sites

Step 2: Configure Hub Settings

Navigation

• Create shared navigation links
• Navigation syncs to associated sites
• Include key hub resources

Branding

• Set hub theme colors
• Configure logo
• Associated sites inherit branding

Permissions

• Hub site permission separate from associations
• Define who can associate sites
• Control hub configuration access

Step 3: Associate Sites

Site owners or admins can:

• Go to site settings
• Select "Hub site association"
• Choose the parent hub
• Confirm association

Hub Site Features

Aggregated News

News from associated sites appears on hub:

• Automatic roll-up
• Filter by site or date
• Promoted stories get visibility
• Cross-site news discovery

Hub-Wide Search

Search scoped to hub family:

• Find content across all associated sites
• Unified search experience
• Respect individual site permissions
• Customizable search verticals

Shared Navigation

Global navigation bar:

• Consistent across hub family
• Managed centrally
• Links to key resources
• Mega menu support

Common Theming

Visual consistency:

• Colors flow to associated sites
• Logo displayed across sites
• Professional, unified look
• Brand compliance

Best Practices

Do's

• Start Simple: Begin with 3-5 hubs maximum
• Align to Business: Hubs should reflect how users think
• Document Governance: Clear ownership and policies
• Train Site Owners: They control association
• Monitor Usage: Track which hubs drive value

Don'ts

• Over-Engineer: Don't create a hub for everything
• Force Association: Let sites join naturally
• Ignore Governance: Hubs need owners
• Forget Mobile: Test hub experience on mobile
• Neglect Updates: Keep hub navigation current

Conclusion

Hub sites are foundational to SharePoint information architecture. A well-planned hub strategy creates connected experiences that help users find content, stay informed, and understand organizational relationships. Start simple, align to your business structure, and expand as you learn what works.

Our team can help assess your current site structure and design a hub architecture that improves content discoverability and user experience across your organization.