<p>Accessibility gets treated like a compliance chore, but the things that make a site usable with a screen reader are the same things that make it clearer for everyone.</p><h2>The baseline that covers most cases</h2><ul><li><strong>Real text, not text-in-images</strong>, so it can be read and zoomed.</li><li><strong>Visible focus states</strong> on every interactive element.</li><li><strong>Labels on inputs</strong> and <strong>alt text on images</strong>.</li><li>Color contrast of <strong>at least 4.5:1</strong> for body text.</li></ul><h2>Keyboard-first</h2><p>Try navigating your own site with only the Tab key. If you can't reach the menu, the form, or the primary button, neither can a meaningful slice of your audience.</p><h3>It helps your SEO too</h3><p>Semantic headings, descriptive links, and image alt text are exactly what search engines parse. Accessible markup and discoverable markup are mostly the same markup.</p><blockquote><p>Designing for the edges makes the middle better.</p></blockquote>