diff --git a/apps/ui/package.json b/apps/ui/package.json
index 02ca4db048..8719231a4d 100644
--- a/apps/ui/package.json
+++ b/apps/ui/package.json
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 		"@tanstack/react-query": "^5.75.5",
 		"@tanstack/react-query-persist-client": "^5.96.2",
 		"@tanstack/react-router": "^1.120.14",
+		"@wordpress/a11y": "^4.47.0",
 		"@wordpress/api-fetch": "^7.47.0",
 		"@wordpress/components": "^34.0.0",
 		"@wordpress/core-data": "^7.47.0",
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/index.css b/apps/ui/src/index.css
index 93bc75beee..66c874e964 100644
--- a/apps/ui/src/index.css
+++ b/apps/ui/src/index.css
@@ -112,19 +112,22 @@ textarea,
 
 /* Show the focus ring only on keyboard focus, overriding @wordpress/ui's
    :focus-based outline. Unlayered CSS wins over WP UI's cascade layers.
-   `a` covers Button primitives rendered as links via its `render` prop.
-   Also revert the background/border shift @wordpress/ui's Button applies on
-   `:focus` — when a Dialog auto-focuses a button on open, the "active" look
-   would otherwise show without any user intent. Leave `color` alone:
-   loading buttons rely on `color: transparent` to hide their label while
-   the spinner runs, and overriding that here would make the label visible
-   again. */
+   `a` covers Button primitives rendered as links via its `render` prop. */
 button:focus:not( :focus-visible ),
 a:focus:not( :focus-visible ),
 [role='button']:focus:not( :focus-visible ) {
 	outline: none;
-	background-color: var( --wp-ui-button-background-color );
-	border-color: var( --wp-ui-button-border-color );
+}
+
+/* Revert the background/border shift @wordpress/ui's Button applies on
+   `:focus` without overriding unlayered custom component styles. */
+@layer wp-ui-overrides {
+	button:focus:not( :focus-visible ),
+	a:focus:not( :focus-visible ),
+	[role='button']:focus:not( :focus-visible ) {
+		background-color: var( --wp-ui-button-background-color );
+		border-color: var( --wp-ui-button-border-color );
+	}
 }
 
 /* Compact density: shrink icons to match the tighter spacing tokens.
@@ -137,6 +140,34 @@ a:focus:not( :focus-visible ),
 	height: 16px;
 }
 
+@keyframes view-transition-exit {
+	to {
+		opacity: 0;
+	}
+}
+
+@keyframes view-transition-enter {
+	from {
+		opacity: 0;
+		transform: translateY(10px);
+	}
+}
+
+::view-transition-old(root) {
+	animation: 120ms ease-out both view-transition-exit;
+}
+
+::view-transition-new(root) {
+	animation: 220ms ease-out both view-transition-enter;
+}
+
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+	::view-transition-old(root),
+	::view-transition-new(root) {
+		animation: none;
+	}
+}
+
 /* Desks uses each shape's indicator as the visible selection outline.
    Hide tldraw's default selection box and handle glyphs while keeping the
    underlying resize/rotate wrappers interactive. */
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/layout-onboarding/index.tsx b/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/layout-onboarding/index.tsx
index 0db88f49b7..3c8b0ff330 100644
--- a/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/layout-onboarding/index.tsx
+++ b/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/layout-onboarding/index.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
-import { createRoute, Outlet, useMatches, useNavigate } from '@tanstack/react-router';
+import { createRoute, Outlet, useLocation, useMatches, useNavigate } from '@tanstack/react-router';
+import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
 import { OnboardingLayout } from '@/components/onboarding-layout';
 import { useSites } from '@/data/queries/use-sites';
 import { rootRoute } from '../layout-root';
+import styles from './style.module.css';
 
 function OnboardingShell() {
 	const navigate = useNavigate();
@@ -20,12 +22,45 @@ function OnboardingShell() {
 		const step = ( match.search as { step?: string } ).step;
 		return step !== 'configure';
 	} );
+	const contentRef = useRef< HTMLDivElement >( null );
+	const { href } = useLocation();
+	const lastHref = useRef( href );
+	useEffect( () => {
+		if ( lastHref.current === href ) {
+			return;
+		}
+		lastHref.current = href;
+		const focusHeading = () => {
+			const content = contentRef.current;
+			if ( ! content ) {
+				return false;
+			}
+			// A page that claims focus itself wins over the default heading focus.
+			const active = document.activeElement;
+			if ( active && active !== document.body && content.contains( active ) ) {
+				return true;
+			}
+			const heading = content.querySelector( 'h1' );
+			if ( ! heading ) {
+				return false;
+			}
+			heading.setAttribute( 'tabindex', '-1' );
+			heading.focus();
+			return true;
+		};
+		if ( ! focusHeading() ) {
+			const raf = requestAnimationFrame( () => void focusHeading() );
+			return () => cancelAnimationFrame( raf );
+		}
+	}, [ href ] );
 	return (
 		<OnboardingLayout
 			onClose={ hasSites ? () => void navigate( { to: '/' } ) : undefined }
 			width={ isWide ? 'wide' : 'default' }
 		>
-			<Outlet />
+			<div ref={ contentRef } className={ styles.outlet }>
+				<Outlet />
+			</div>
 		</OnboardingLayout>
 	);
 }
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/layout-onboarding/style.module.css b/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/layout-onboarding/style.module.css
index 3bf06f28c5..2278cccc9e 100644
--- a/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/layout-onboarding/style.module.css
+++ b/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/layout-onboarding/style.module.css
@@ -14,6 +14,14 @@
 	margin: 0 0 32px;
 }
 
+.outlet {
+	display: contents;
+}
+
+.outlet h1:focus:not(:focus-visible) {
+	outline: none;
+}
+
 .cards {
 	display: flex;
 	gap: 16px;
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/route-onboarding-blueprint/index.tsx b/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/route-onboarding-blueprint/index.tsx
index 099c5b8c0c..f9b32b26cf 100644
--- a/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/route-onboarding-blueprint/index.tsx
+++ b/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/route-onboarding-blueprint/index.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ import {
 	updateBlueprintWithFormValues,
 } from '@studio/common/lib/blueprint-settings';
 import { createRoute, useNavigate } from '@tanstack/react-router';
-import { __ } from '@wordpress/i18n';
+import { speak } from '@wordpress/a11y';
+import { __, sprintf } from '@wordpress/i18n';
 import { arrowLeft } from '@wordpress/icons';
 import { Button, Icon } from '@wordpress/ui';
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
@@ -109,6 +110,13 @@ function OnboardingBlueprintPage() {
 					filePath: picked.filePath,
 				},
 			} );
+			speak(
+				sprintf(
+					// translators: %s is the site name.
+					__( '%s site added.' ),
+					values.name
+				)
+			);
 			await navigate( { to: '/sites/$siteId/new', params: { siteId: site.id } } );
 		} catch ( error ) {
 			setSubmitError(
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/route-onboarding-create/index.tsx b/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/route-onboarding-create/index.tsx
index bbb98abf50..c3756bff18 100644
--- a/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/route-onboarding-create/index.tsx
+++ b/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/route-onboarding-create/index.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { createRoute, useNavigate } from '@tanstack/react-router';
-import { __ } from '@wordpress/i18n';
+import { speak } from '@wordpress/a11y';
+import { __, sprintf } from '@wordpress/i18n';
 import { useState } from 'react';
 import { CreateSiteForm } from '@/components/create-site-form';
 import {
@@ -33,6 +34,13 @@ function CreateSitePage() {
 				adminPassword: values.adminPassword || undefined,
 				adminEmail: values.adminEmail || undefined,
 			} );
+			speak(
+				sprintf(
+					// translators: %s is the site name.
+					__( '%s site added.' ),
+					values.name
+				)
+			);
 			await navigate( { to: '/sites/$siteId/new', params: { siteId: site.id } } );
 		} catch ( error ) {
 			setSubmitError(
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/route-onboarding-import/index.tsx b/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/route-onboarding-import/index.tsx
index d210ce266b..2cf447dd78 100644
--- a/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/route-onboarding-import/index.tsx
+++ b/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/route-onboarding-import/index.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { ACCEPTED_IMPORT_FILE_TYPES } from '@studio/common/constants';
 import { createRoute, useNavigate } from '@tanstack/react-router';
-import { __ } from '@wordpress/i18n';
+import { speak } from '@wordpress/a11y';
+import { __, sprintf } from '@wordpress/i18n';
 import { arrowLeft, download } from '@wordpress/icons';
 import { Button, Icon } from '@wordpress/ui';
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
@@ -143,6 +144,13 @@ function OnboardingImportPage() {
 				siteId: site.id,
 				backup: { path: picked.path, type: picked.file.type },
 			} );
+			speak(
+				sprintf(
+					// translators: %s is the site name.
+					__( '%s site added.' ),
+					values.name
+				)
+			);
 			await navigate( { to: '/sites/$siteId/new', params: { siteId: site.id } } );
 		} catch ( error ) {
 			setSubmitError(
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/router.tsx b/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/router.tsx
index b88e3f9d79..c9b8f6a6d1 100644
--- a/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/router.tsx
+++ b/apps/ui/src/ui-classic/router/router.tsx
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ export function createAppRouter( context: RouterContext ) {
 		routeTree,
 		context,
 		defaultPreload: 'intent',
+		defaultViewTransition: true,
 		history: createPackagedRouterHistory(),
 	} );
 }
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index f0934ff7c7..682cdf593e 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1087,6 +1087,7 @@
 				"@tanstack/react-query": "^5.75.5",
 				"@tanstack/react-query-persist-client": "^5.96.2",
 				"@tanstack/react-router": "^1.120.14",
+				"@wordpress/a11y": "^4.47.0",
 				"@wordpress/api-fetch": "^7.47.0",
 				"@wordpress/components": "^34.0.0",
 				"@wordpress/core-data": "^7.47.0",