Introduction

Are you tired of using the basic features of SharePoint? Are you looking for ways to customize your SharePoint sites to meet your business needs? Look no further! SharePoint customization is here to rescue you! With SharePoint customization, you can tailor your SharePoint sites based on your unique business needs, improving user experience and productivity. In this article, we’ll explore the top 10 tips and tricks for SharePoint customization, helping you transform your SharePoint into a powerful tool for your business.

Understand Your Customization Needs

Before diving into customization, take some time to assess your business’s specific needs and goals. Prioritize features that would improve efficiency or align SharePoint with your business processes. Consider features that provide a more intuitive user experience, such as personalized dashboards. Regularly assess your staff’s needs and pain points to continuously improve your SharePoint site.

Develop a Clear Site Map

Developing a site map is crucial to understanding your site’s architecture and organizing its content. Identify the main components like lists, libraries, web parts, and workflows. Create a hierarchy of these components to outline their relationships. A well-designed site map makes it easier for users to find what they need and facilitates future updates and customization. Consider users’ perspectives and include relevant features that aid productivity and workflows.

Choose the Right Site Theme

Selecting the right site theme is essential as it sets the tone for your entire site. Choose a theme that aligns with your brand and conveys the right message to your audience. SharePoint provides pre-designed themes, but you can also create custom themes to match your company’s branding. Consider the overall color scheme, typography, and layout. Modify themes to fit your business needs, change background colors, add custom images, and adjust font styles.

Design Custom Master Pages

Custom master pages are crucial for SharePoint customizations. They allow you to personalize your sites and create a unique brand identity. Design your custom master page with the overall look and feel in mind. Ensure consistency in branding across all pages, incorporate custom web parts for improved functionality, and create user-friendly navigation menus. Optimize the master page for different devices to provide a seamless user experience.

Customize Web Parts

Customizing web parts is an essential part of modifying SharePoint sites. Customize the look and feel of web parts to meet your business’s specific needs. Modify the default view of web parts and extend their functionality. Ensure that customizations do not negatively affect page load times or site functionality. Modify web parts’ CSS styles to create a unique look and feel, aligning them with your branding.

Optimize Lists and Libraries

Optimizing lists and libraries is crucial for SharePoint customization. Organize your data by creating views that specify visible columns, sorting options, and item display limits. This makes it faster and easier for your team to find information. Set up unique permissions for specific team members to ensure data security. Limit list sizes, use metadata, and index commonly searched columns to improve performance.

Add Custom Actions

Custom actions provide users with more control and flexibility in working with SharePoint. They can be added to toolbars, ribbons, or menus in lists or libraries. Custom actions can include creating new documents or items, updating or deleting items, or running custom workflows. Proper planning and development are crucial to ensure smooth implementation and a seamless user experience.

Integrate SharePoint with Other Applications

Integrating SharePoint with other applications enhances functionality and flexibility. Create workflows between SharePoint and platforms like Microsoft Dynamics or Salesforce to streamline processes and make data accessible. Integrate with applications like Power BI, Yammer, or Office 365 Groups for advanced reporting, real-time collaboration, and simplified communication. Evaluate integrations based on scalability, maintenance, and security.

Apply Security Best Practices

Applying security best practices is essential for SharePoint customization. Configure permissions at different levels to ensure authorized access to sensitive information. Use SSL encryption and enforce strong password policies. Regularly audit user activity to detect and prevent unauthorized access. Educate users on security best practices, such as password management and avoiding sharing sensitive information via email.

Regularly Maintain and Update

SharePoint customization is an ongoing process. Regularly maintain and update your customizations based on evolving business needs. Stay up to date with the latest SharePoint updates and best practices. Test your customizations before deployment to ensure design, functionality, and branding meet your business requirements.

Conclusion

Hiring a SharePoint developer and leveraging SharePoint consulting services can greatly enhance your business by delivering a range of benefits such as improved user experience, streamlined processes, and increased efficiency. By customizing SharePoint to fit your specific requirements, you empower your team with the necessary tools to thrive. Furthermore, customization enables you to maintain a competitive edge and focus on critical aspects of your business. It’s important to note that customization is an ongoing process, necessitating regular assessments and updates to align with evolving business needs. With the expertise of a SharePoint developer and the guidance of SharePoint consulting services, you can leverage these top 10 tips and tricks to harness the full potential of SharePoint customization for your organization.