What are the warning signs of a bad WordPress freelance engagement?

Eight tells. The “perpetual licence” clause is at the top.

The eight

1. “Perpetual licence” clause in the SOW. The vendor wants to reuse your code, your design, or your content in their template library. Decline; this is a one-way value transfer.
2. No fixed milestones. “We’ll invoice as work progresses.” Translation: scope is negotiable forever, and your leverage decays.
3. “Unlimited revisions” promise. Either a lie or a trap. Real engineering has a finite revision count documented per milestone.
4. No SOW at all. “I work on trust.” Walk.
5. “My hosting” or “my staging.” The vendor owns the infrastructure the site lives on. You’ll be hostage at handover.
6. Generic LinkedIn / website. No client testimonials with real names. No portfolio with public URLs. AI portfolios are good at this now; reference-checking is the antidote.
7. “Email me with any questions, but don’t expect a reply for a few days.” Translates to a 5 — 10 business day SLA. Make sure the SOW makes that explicit, then decide if it works for you.
8. No exit clause. If you can’t fire them mid-engagement and walk away with what’s already shipped, you’re locked in. Decline.

What the green-flag engagement looks like

Fixed SOW, 40/40/20 milestones, written Friday status, public client portfolio with real URLs, IP transfers on final payment, named indemnity, the vendor’s hosting recommendation is on your account.