Answer ·

What should I look for in a freelance WordPress developer in 2026?

Twelve questions, the right answers, and what AI portfolios can't fake.

Twelve questions, the right answers, and what AI portfolios can’t fake.

The twelve questions

  1. “Show me the last three sites you shipped, ordered by recency.” — Real sites, not screenshots. Public URLs.
  2. “What’s the Lighthouse score on the homepage of each?” — They should know without checking.
  3. “What’s the LCP at mobile p75?” — Same. Public PageSpeed Insights URLs are stronger than any portfolio claim.
  4. “How many plugins on each?” — Single digits is the right answer for a B2B marketing site.
  5. “Do those sites pass WCAG 2.2 AA?” — Specific answer, with evidence.
  6. “Show me a SOW you’ve used.” — If they don’t have one, hard pass.
  7. “How do you handle ‘while you’re in there’ scope creep?” — Looking for a process, not just willingness.
  8. “What’s your milestone schedule?” — 40/40/20 is healthy. 50/50 is risk-loaded to the end.
  9. “Who owns the code at the end?” — “You do, on final payment” is the only acceptable answer.
  10. “What’s your communication cadence?” — Friday written status is the gold standard.
  11. “Can I talk to your last client?” — If the answer is no, hard pass.
  12. “What’s your AI policy?” — Looking for transparency, not absolutism. AI as draft is fine; AI as final review is not.

What AI portfolios can’t fake

LinkedIn-verifiable client testimonials. Public PageSpeed Insights URLs from sites you can independently visit. A SOW with an actual signature. A GitHub history that goes back more than 12 months. References who answer.