How to Create a Scalable Enterprise Wiki - A 2024 Guide

An enterprise wiki, your company’s very own internal knowledge base, is essential. A corporate wiki serves as a centralized platform for storing and sharing business information within an organization.

But let’s be honest, most wikis end up being a neglected wasteland of outdated information.

Why do so many enterprise wikis fail to live up to their potential?

Often, they suffer from information overload, poor organization, and a lack of engagement.

In this guide, we’ll dive into the key elements of a successful enterprise wiki and show you how to create one that your team will actually use and love.

If you’re looking for a quick and painless way to get started, check out Slite’s Free Wiki Generator.

But if you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and build a wiki from the ground up, let’s dive in.

What is an Enterprise Wiki?

An enterprise wiki is your company’s internal Wikipedia – a centralized repository of knowledge, documentation, and information relevant to your business. It’s a collaborative platform where team members can create, edit, and share documents, ensuring everyone has access to the most up-to-date information. A company wiki promotes knowledge sharing, continuous updating, and easy access to information for everyone.

Unlike traditional intranets or knowledge bases, an enterprise wiki is more than just a static collection of documents. It’s a living, breathing organism that evolves alongside your company. It’s a place where employees can contribute their expertise, share best practices, and find the answers they need to do their jobs effectively.

Why Your Enterprise Wiki is Important for Company Knowledge

A well-oiled enterprise wiki isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a game-changer for centralizing and preserving company knowledge. It’s like having a central nervous system for your company – connecting every department, team, and individual with the knowledge they need to thrive.

No More Wild Goose Chases

Tired of digging through endless emails and Slack threads to find that one crucial piece of information? An internal company wiki puts everything in one place, saving you time and frustration.

This is especially important if you’ve gone from mid-sized to enterprise in a short time. Teams that rapidly hire, almost always face the tribal knowledge problem.

Omnisend faced it firsthand.

Everyone's on the Same Page

Onboarding new hires? Launching a new product? A wiki ensures that everyone has access to the most up-to-date information, eliminating confusion and miscommunication for both existing and future employees. This is one of the main reasons OneUp Sales - a Performance Management software for Sales teams - built their wiki in Slite.

Alex was always the documentation nerd at OneUp.

On the team level, he saw right away the downside of lack of documentation. There was no onboarding guide, and new hires were thrown into tasks and teams without any context of what they were working on or why.

Empower Your People and Future Employees to Self-Serve First

When your workforce includes deskless workers who may not have company email addresses or easy access to shared drives, or distributed teams spread across different time zones, it becomes even more challenging for the entire team to get the information they need quickly and efficiently. A wiki can provide a self-serve knowledge base accessible at any time, from anywhere, empowering employees to find answers and solutions independently.

This reduces the need for back-and-forth communication, which can be especially difficult with asynchronous teams. Moreover, it ensures that everyone has access to the same information, promoting consistency and reducing the risk of errors or misunderstandings.

C-Suite Leadership gets answers without DMing

With all the knowledge of your company at your fingertips, you can make informed decisions more quickly and confidently. And that is a serious need for your leadership team, more than anyone else.

Simo Lemhandez, Founder, Folk loves Slite’s AI search for the very same reason:

“This is a challenge we always have - finding the right document and where the data is stored. Even more for new employees that are getting on board. It’s crazy how this feature fits into our day-to-day life!”

How to Build an Enterprise Wiki Your Team Will Actually Use (and Love!)

Building a thriving wiki takes more than just choosing the right wiki software. It requires a strategic approach, thoughtful planning, and ongoing commitment to maintenance. Here’s your step-by-step guide:

1 Define Your Wiki's Purpose and Scope

Start by asking yourself: “Why are we creating a wiki?” Are you looking to streamline onboarding, centralize scattered knowledge, foster better collaboration, or all of the above? Clearly defining your purpose will help you focus your efforts and measure success down the line.

Once you’ve got your “why,” it’s time to identify your audience. Who will be using this wiki? What are their roles and responsibilities? What kind of information are they looking for? Understanding your audience will help you tailor your content and structure to their specific needs.

Finally, create a high-level outline of the topics your wiki will cover. This could include:

• Company values and culture
• Standard operating procedures (SOPs)
• Project documentation and roadmaps
• Technical guides and troubleshooting
• HR policies and benefits information

Consider the common challenges faced by company wikis, such as outdated content, poor search experience, and lack of mobile-friendliness, to ensure your wiki remains effective and user-friendly

2 Choose the Right Wiki Software

There’s no shortage of wiki platforms on the market, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Do your research and compare features, pricing, and ease of use. Consider factors like:

• Scalability: Will the platform grow with your company?
• Search: How easy is it to find information?
• Collaboration: Does it support real-time editing and commenting?
• Integrations: Can it connect with the tools your team already uses?

If your primary focus is building a knowledge base, Slite is a strong contender. Its user-friendly interface, robust search, and AI-powered features make it easy to create and maintain an effective wiki. For those looking to create an enterprise wiki site, SharePoint offers a straightforward process and comprehensive guidance to get started. Most platforms offer free trials or demos, so take them for a test drive to see which one feels like the best fit for your team.

3 Organize Your Wiki

A well-organized wiki is easy to navigate and use, ensuring your team can quickly find the information they need.

• Create a Clear Hierarchy: Structure your wiki into main categories (e.g., HR, Engineering, Marketing) and then break those down into subcategories (e.g., Onboarding, Benefits, Policies).
• Use Tags and Metadata: Tags and metadata (like author, date, or department) can make it easier to filter and search for specific content.
• Implement Clear Navigation: Use menus, breadcrumbs, and a search bar to help users find their way around. Incorporate internal linking to guide readers to relevant pages and define the wiki's structure. A simple table of contents or “getting started” guide can be helpful for new users.
• Manage Permissions: Not all information should be accessible to everyone. Set clear permissions to control who can view and edit specific pages.

4 Create Compelling Content

Content is the heart and soul of your wiki page. Make it shine!

When creating content, it’s essential to keep it concise.

Use bullet points, numbered lists, and short paragraphs to make your content skimmable. Avoid jargon and technical terms your audience may not understand. Instead, use active voice and strong verbs to engage your readers.

Additionally, proofread your work carefully for errors in grammar and spelling. To ensure your content remains accurate and relevant, regularly update it.

In terms of language, prioritize clarity and actionability. Use easy-to-understand language and avoid jargon or technical terms. If you do use unfamiliar terms, define them. Provide clear instructions and next steps so that your audience knows exactly what to do.

And if you’re using Slite, you can do all of the above by

1. Selecting the content in the Slite Doc
2. Clicking Quick Improve

And to edit documents on the fly, use Slite’s free Magic Document Formatter. It’ll automatically:

• Break content into smaller paragraphs
• Bolden, italicize, underline the important phrases
• Organise your doc in subheadings for easy navigation

To break up long blocks of add images, videos, charts, or graphs. These visuals can enhance the appeal of your content and aid in conveying your message. When choosing visuals, ensure they are relevant to your content and of high quality.

Finally, using templates can help maintain consistency and ease of use for common documents like meeting notes, project proposals, and onboarding checklists. Templates ensure everyone follows a standard format and make your documents more accessible and user-friendly. Additionally, templates can be time-saving tools when creating new documents.

5 Encourage Collaboration

A wiki isn’t just a top-down resource. It should be a living, breathing document that evolves with your company.

• Make it easy for everyone to contribute their knowledge by providing clear instructions and guidelines for both current and future employees.
• Give shout-outs to team members who create helpful content.
• Foster a culture of sharing where everyone feels empowered to contribute.

6 Maintain and Update Your Wiki

A wiki is never truly “finished.” It’s an ongoing project that requires regular attention and care.

• Assign Content Owners: Make sure each section of your wiki has a designated owner responsible for keeping the information accurate and up-to-date.
• Schedule Regular Reviews: Set a schedule for reviewing and updating content, especially for time-sensitive information like policies or procedures within the wiki pages.
• Collect Feedback: Encourage your team to provide feedback on the wiki’s usability and content. Use this feedback to identify areas for improvement.

With the above steps, you’ll have your first wiki in place, congratulations!

But building a wiki, sadly, is the easy part. Nearly all companies have a form of wiki. The challenge is that after the initial excitement of a new wiki, it quickly becomes cluttered, un-usable, and consequentially forgotten by the team.

Thus, your enterprise wiki can fail even after you build the perfect one, because it happens to teams all the time. Let’s see why.

5 Reasons Why Enterprise Wikis Fail

Here are the 5 most common reasons why wikis fail, and how you can avoid these pitfalls:

1. Information Overload: Too much information, often poorly organized, makes it difficult for employees to find what they need. Avoid this by creating a clear structure, using categories and tags, and regularly archiving or removing outdated content.
2. Irrelevant or Outdated Content: If your wiki isn't updated regularly, it quickly becomes irrelevant. Make sure your wiki is a living document that reflects the current state of your company. Assign content owners and establish a regular review process to keep information fresh.
3. Lack of Engagement: A wiki is only as good as its contributors. Encourage participation by making it easy for employees to add and edit content. Consider gamification or incentives to motivate contributions.
4. Poor Search Functionality: If users can't find what they're looking for, they'll quickly give up on your wiki. Invest in a platform with robust search capabilities and consider using AI-powered search to surface relevant content.
5. Lack of Promotion: If your team doesn't know about the wiki or doesn't understand its value, they won't use it. Make sure you promote your wiki regularly and highlight its benefits to your team.

Organizing Your Enterprise Wiki

Here’s how to create a structure that makes your wiki page library a joy to navigate:

1. Combine the Best of Both Worlds

Don’t limit yourself to a single organizational structure. Embrace the power of both hierarchical and content-based organization. This allows you to create a framework that’s both logical and flexible.

• Hierarchical Organization: Think of this as your wiki’s backbone. It provides a top-down structure with main categories and subcategories. For example, you might have a main category for “HR” with subcategories for “Onboarding,” “Benefits,” and “Policies.” Use the site pages library to create views and filters that help manage and organize these categories effectively.
• Content-Based Organization: This approach connects related pieces of information regardless of their hierarchical position. For instance, you might link a document about a new product launch to relevant marketing materials, technical specifications, and customer feedback.

2. Use Categories, Tags, and Metadata

Categories and tags are like signposts that guide users to the right information. Use them liberally to categorize your content and make it easier to search and filter. Metadata, such as author, date, and department, can provide additional context and help users find the most relevant information.

3. Create Clear Navigation and Linking

Ensure your wiki has a user-friendly navigation menu that allows users to quickly access different sections. Use breadcrumbs to show users where they are in the hierarchy, and create internal links to connect related documents.

4. Manage Permissions and Access Controls

Not all information in your wiki should be accessible to everyone. Implement access controls to ensure that sensitive information is only visible to authorized users. This will protect confidential data and ensure that employees only see the information that's relevant to their roles.

Slite: The Key to a Successful Enterprise Wiki

Slite is designed from the ground up to address the pain points that plague traditional wikis.

Here's how it can transform your knowledge management:

• Intuitive Organization: Slite's clean, hierarchical structure and intuitive tagging system make it easy to organize information in a way that makes sense to your team. No more endless scrolling or digging through folders to find what you need.
• Powerful Search & Discovery: Slite's robust search engine and AI-powered suggestions help users quickly find the information they're looking for. Say goodbye to frustrating searches and hello to instant answers.

• Seamless Collaboration: Slite's real-time editing, commenting, and @mentioning features foster a collaborative environment where everyone can contribute and share their knowledge.
• Engagement Boosters: Slite's rich media embedding, templates, and customizable formatting options make creating and consuming content enjoyable. Encourage engagement with reactions and discussions to keep your wiki lively and interactive.
• Integration with Your Workflow: Slite integrates seamlessly with popular tools like Slack, G Suite, and GitHub, bringing your knowledge base directly into your existing workflow.

Conclusion

A well-crafted enterprise wiki is more than just a collection of documents – it's a dynamic knowledge hub that empowers your team to do their best work. By following the strategies outlined in this guide and leveraging a platform like Slite, you can create a wiki that's not only useful but also enjoyable to use.

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