Microsoft 365 – Introduction to SharePoint Pages and Web Parts

This guide is an introduction to SharePoint Online, Microsoft’s cloud-based collaboration and document management platform included in Microsoft 365. Whether you are new to SharePoint or transitioning from an on-premises deployment, this introduction to SharePoint Online covers everything you need to get started.

Across 60+ tenant audits at Wintive, we have seen the same pattern: SharePoint communication sites drift into messy intranets when teams do not master SharePoint pages and web parts. First, this guide walks you through communication site template pages. Then, it covers every web part available in modern SharePoint. Finally, we share the SMB gotchas we keep hitting on 50–500-seat tenants. Master pages, layouts, and content placeholders sit outside scope — those belong to the classic model.

📄 SharePoint Pages

First, when a communication site is built, it creates a site page library by default. In this library, you will find the Home.aspx page, which is your site’s home page. You can edit the page from here or directly from the home page. For your information, an ASPX file is an Active Server Page Extended file designed for Microsoft’s ASP.NET framework. And that’s all there is to it technically.

Moreover, you can create a new page and set it as the home page. You can also copy pages, which is ideal if you are designing a template that will be used for service pages, etc.

Create SharePoint pages with PowerShell

💻 Prefer PowerShell? The same 5 steps can be scripted with PnP PowerShell — handy for provisioning dozens of pages at once:

# Connect to the site
Connect-PnPOnline -Url https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/intranet -Interactive

# Create a new blank modern page
New-PnPPage -Name "Department-Policy" -LayoutType Article

# Set it as the site home page (optional)
Set-PnPHomePage -RootFolderRelativeUrl "SitePages/Department-Policy.aspx"

# List every modern page in the site
Get-PnPPage | Select-Object Name, Title, PageLayoutType

🧩 Web Parts

Web Parts are the building blocks used for SharePoint pages. They allow you to modify your pages and display content and business data that is important to your team or company.

For me, SharePoint pages are like the walls of a house. You can have paintings, graffiti, windows, doors, decorations, posters, etc.

Adding text or images to your page is like adding paintings, graffiti, wall stencils, or posters. The content is only on the page and does not reside anywhere else.

Adding a library, list, Power BI, embedded code, etc. is like adding a window to your wall. This allows you to display content that is actually located elsewhere (in the next room, so to speak).

Plan SharePoint pages around user needs

When planning your home page and other pages, it is important to keep in mind what users will be looking for and need to access first. The fewer clicks it takes for the user to get to their destination, the more comfortable they are likely to feel on the site.

📚 Available web parts

First, to see the available web parts, put your page in edit mode and click on the “+” in the middle of the page. The easiest way to learn is, of course, to play around with it. I suggest you try out each web part to get a better understanding of what it offers.

🧱 Core building blocks

These six web parts appear on almost every page. First, you will use them as the foundation of any layout.

📂 Content and file display

Next, when you need to surface stored content, these three web parts do the job. Moreover, they keep files in sync automatically.

👥 Team and events

Then, for collaboration, these five web parts keep teams informed. In addition, they integrate directly with Microsoft 365 groups.

🎬 Media and embeds

Furthermore, when visuals matter most, these five web parts bring rich media into the page. As a result, engagement goes up significantly.

📊 Data and interaction

Finally, for interactive dashboards and user input, these six web parts turn a static page into a tool. Therefore, they are essential for intranets.

💡 Why Use SharePoint Online?

SharePoint Online is the cloud version of Microsoft SharePoint, hosted by Microsoft as part of Microsoft 365. Unlike the on-premises version, SharePoint Online requires no server infrastructure and is always up to date. Every Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise subscription includes SharePoint Online, making it accessible to organizations of all sizes.

Key advantages of SharePoint Online include automatic updates, 99.9% uptime SLA, built-in security compliance features, and seamless integration with Teams sites, OneDrive, and Power Platform.

🔗 Explore Our SharePoint Tutorials

Dive deeper into SharePoint Online with these step-by-step guides:

📘 Getting started with SharePoint

🔧 Daily collaboration and features