A Plain Language Guide. If a new starter cannot understand it on day one, it fails.
You have a file called 'Final_FINAL_v3_USE_THIS_ONE.docx'. We need to talk. Bad naming is the single most common reason SharePoint becomes unsearchable, Copilot gives useless answers, and new team members spend their first week asking where everything is. This guide covers every naming decision you will ever face — sites, libraries, columns, files — with before-and-after examples, a decision tree, and a two-week implementation plan.
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Does this sound like you?
You have files called 'Final_v2_FINAL_USE_THIS.docx' and you're not sure which is correct
Your SharePoint search returns 200 results and you can't tell which one you need
New team members spend their first week asking where everything is
Every library in your organisation has different naming — nothing is consistent
You've asked Copilot to find something and it returned the wrong version
Someone asked you to 'set naming conventions' and you didn't know where to start
The Promise
Apply the Plain Language Principle to every naming decision — one rule, every situation
Name sites so any new starter knows what's inside before they click
Name libraries so the content is obvious from the name alone
Name columns in plain English so everyone fills them in correctly
Name files so version history replaces the 'Final_v3' habit forever
Make your content findable by Copilot — naming is Copilot's first signal
Implement a consistent naming system across your organisation in two weeks
What's Inside
The three real costs of bad naming: time (finding files), Copilot (wrong answers), and onboarding (new starters lost for weeks). The 'day one test' — if a new starter can't understand it on day one, it fails.
The one rule that governs every naming decision: use words that anyone in your organisation would use to describe this thing. No abbreviations, no codes, no IT-speak. Plain language only.
The four rules for site names. Before-and-after examples. The 'would a new starter understand this?' test. Why 'HR' fails and 'Human Resources' passes. Why 'Project X' fails and 'Acme Client Project 2026' passes.
Why 'Documents' is the worst name in SharePoint. The three library naming rules. Ten before-and-after examples across HR, Finance, Projects, and Operations.
The three core columns (Document Type, Status, Department) and how to name them. The five column types and when to use each. The 'plain English only' rule for choice values.
What content types are, when you need them, and when you don't. A plain-English explanation with no technical jargon. Most teams don't need content types yet — this section tells you when you do.
The five file naming rules. Why version numbers in file names are a sign that Version History isn't being used. The 'Final' myth. Eight before-and-after examples.
Why naming is Copilot's navigation system. The three naming signals Copilot uses to find and filter content. The 'Copilot test' for every name: ask Copilot to find it and see what comes back.
The two-week plan: Week 1 = Audit (Site Naming Audit, File Naming Cleanup). Week 2 = Rename (libraries, columns, files in priority order). Day-by-day with time estimates.
Everything Included
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Copilot Readiness Note
Naming is Copilot's first signal. When you ask Copilot to 'find the approved leave policy', it looks at file names, library names, and column values to find the right document. A file called 'Leave Policy' in a library called 'HR Policies' with a Status of 'Approved' is found instantly. A file called 'LP_Final_v2_USE_THIS' in a library called 'Documents' with no columns is invisible to Copilot. This guide fixes the naming so Copilot can do its job.
FAQ
No — and you shouldn't try to. The two-week implementation plan prioritises the highest-impact renames first: libraries and columns before files. Start with the things that affect everyone, then work down to individual files.
SharePoint updates internal links automatically when you rename files and libraries. External links (shared with people outside your organisation) may break. The guide covers how to handle this in the implementation plan.
Yes — the guide is designed to be the foundation for your organisation's naming standards. The cheat sheet and decision tree are both designed to be shared with your team as a reference.
Naming is what you call things. Metadata is how you describe them. Both are needed. A file called 'Leave Policy' (good naming) with a Document Type of 'Policy' and a Status of 'Approved' (good metadata) is findable by anyone and by Copilot. The Metadata & Structure Planning Guide covers the metadata side.
A PDF slide deck (24 slides) plus one Excel workbook with four tabs. The workbook is your working document during the two-week implementation — fill it in as you audit and rename.
Naming is Stage 2 of the Fix the Mess methodology: Define Your Language. This guide covers that stage in depth. If you want the full six-stage methodology, visit fixthemess.ai.
What's Next on the Path?
You've fixed the naming. Now make sure your whole team knows how to use SharePoint properly. The Essentials System is the comprehensive end-user guide — 35 slides, 7 modules, everything from navigation to views to decision trees.
See SharePoint Essentials