> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://ctracker-docs.keywordrush.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://ctracker-docs.keywordrush.com/start-here/going-live.md).

# Going live

The point where the sandbox comes off and real members start earning real money. Worth half an hour of checking, because several of the things below are awkward to undo afterwards.

### Before anything else

**Is the site currency right?** `Settings` → `General` → **Site currency**. This is the one that is genuinely hard to change later — every balance is stored in it. Check it now, while no real money exists.

**Is the ledger initialized?** If a yellow setup card still appears at the top of your admin pages, balances are not being recorded. Complete it.

### Turn the sandbox off

`Cashback Tracker` → `Sandbox`.

Switch it off and **remove its data**. Sandbox shops, orders and members are obvious in testing and confusing in production — a fake shop left in your directory is a real customer clicking a link that goes nowhere.

See [The sandbox](/running-your-site/sandbox.md).

### Check the network is really connected

`Cashback Tracker` → `Networks`:

* The network reads **Active**
* **Shops** shows a count and a recent refresh
* **Orders** shows a recent check

Then press **Check orders** once by hand. If your network has been sending you sales during testing, this pulls in what is already there.

### Money settings

| Check                                                           | Where                  |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| **Cashback rates** are what you intend, on every active network | `Networks` → Configure |
| **Minimum payout** is set to an amount worth paying             | `Settings` → `Members` |
| **Payout methods** are ones you can actually send money by      | `Settings` → `Members` |
| **Holding period** is deliberate — 0 is fine, but decide it     | `Settings` → `General` |

{% hint style="warning" %}
Do not offer a payout method you have not tested yourself. The first time you use it should not be with a member waiting.
{% endhint %}

### The member's side

Register a **real second account** — not your admin login — and walk through it as a member would:

1. The account page loads and shows a balance of zero.
2. A shop page shows a cashback rate.
3. **Go to shop** takes you to the merchant.
4. Signed out, the same button asks you to register.

If any of those is wrong, fix it now. Every one of them is something a member will hit in their first minute.

### Email

Send yourself one of each: `Settings` → `Emails` has a preview.

Check the sender address is one your domain is allowed to send from — a cashback email landing in spam is a support ticket you never see, because the member simply thinks nothing happened.

Set **Alerts** to an address you actually read. See [Logs and alerts](/running-your-site/logs-and-alerts.md).

### Background jobs

Everything the plugin does on its own — importing orders, refreshing shops, sending emails — depends on WordPress cron.

`Cashback Tracker` → `Overview` shows whether jobs are running. If they are not, nothing below the surface works and you will not find out until a member asks where their cashback is. See [Scheduled tasks](/running-your-site/scheduled-tasks.md).

### Caching

If you use a caching plugin, exclude the member account page and anything showing a balance **before** you have members. See [Caching and performance](/running-your-site/caching-and-performance.md).

### Tell members what to expect

The single best thing you can do for your support load. Put it on your FAQ page, in plain words:

* Purchases usually appear within 24 hours, sometimes longer
* Cashback stays pending until the shop confirms it — typically 30 to 90 days
* You must be signed in and use the link on this site
* Returned or cancelled orders lose their cashback

Almost every angry email is one of those four, from someone who was never told.

### After launch, for the first month

* **Orders** — are they arriving from every network?
* **Logs** — anything repeating?
* **Networks** — is every row still checking successfully?

A network that quietly stops reporting looks exactly like a network with no sales. Checking weekly for the first month catches it while it is still a small problem.

### Related

* [Quick start](/start-here/quick-start.md)
* [The Overview dashboard](/running-your-site/overview-dashboard.md)
* [Handling a payout request](/members-and-payouts/handling-a-payout-request.md)