Most intranet search problems are structure problems. Before you sign a contract on a new application to improve your intranet’s search, it's important to understand why search engines fail when built on a foundation of disorganized content. A survey of research from the last 15 years shows the problem isn’t going away.

I’ve seen a lot of organizations buy a new platform to solve the search problem. Even if you’ve changed intranet platforms in the past, the complaint eventually resurfaces. The problem occurs because of a lack of organization standards, not because of software. This post explains why things on intranets become unfindable, the costs to your organization, and what an information structure fix looks like.