At certain times, one simple DNS mistake can cause everything else in your settings to stop working. There are certain areas that you can look for to ensure that this does not happen, or know how to fix it once it does. Here are some tips on what to keep an eye out for when updating your DNS settings: 

This article will cover how to fix issues specifically using Rebel DNS : 

• Changing name-servers in the wrong spot
• Not using quotation marks while adding records 
• Root C-NAME record 
• Duplicate Records 

To access your advanced DNS records, please follow this article: How do I access the Advanced DNS for my domain?

Changing name-servers in the wrong spot

When DNS isn’t working, it’s very common to update the right values in the wrong place. Nameservers decide where your DNS is managed.

If you want to use third-party hosting and change your Name servers to point to your host, please ensure that you are changing your Nameservers in the general DNS edit page and NOT in your advanced DNS manager. To do this, you will need to go through the following steps in this article: How do I change my nameservers for my domain?

Not using quotation marks while adding records 

Text-based DNS records (like TXT, SPF, and DKIM) have to match exactly what your provider expects. If a value is supposed to be wrapped in quotation marks and you leave them out (or vice versa), the record may technically save, but the service trying to read it won’t recognize it properly.

Tips: 

• Always copy DNS values exactly as provided, including quotation marks if they’re shown as part of the value.

• If a verification fails, compare the record in your DNS panel to your provider’s example character by character, watching for missing or doubled quotes.

Root C-NAME record 

The root of your domain (example.com) is special. It’s usually expected to have A or AAAA records pointing directly to an IP address. Adding a CNAME at the root is often not allowed or, if it is, it can cause conflicts with other important records like MX (email) and TXT.

Why this can break things

• Many DNS systems don’t support a CNAME at the root at all, so the domain stops resolving properly.

• A root CNAME can conflict with other records (MX, TXT) that are required for email to work.

• Your domain might appear to work sometimes (usually via a cached result) and then fail intermittently, which is tricky to troubleshoot.

How to avoid it

• At the root (@ / example.com), use A/AAAA records pointing to your server’s IP, not a CNAME.

• Reserve CNAME records for subdomains like www.example.com, blog.example.com, etc.

Duplicate Records 

DNS doesn’t like “kinda-sorta” answers. When you have duplicate or conflicting records for the same host and type, resolvers may return different answers at different times. That can lead to sites that work for some people and not others, or an email that sometimes delivers and sometimes bounces.

Why this can break things

• Multiple A records for the same host (with different IPs) can send visitors to different servers, especially if you didn’t intend load balancing.

• Having old and new MX records together may cause some mail to go to one server and some to another or get rejected entirely.

• Multiple overlapping SPF TXT records can make your SPF invalid, hurting email deliverability.

Tips: 

• Regularly scan your DNS zone for records with the same host and type, and confirm you really need more than one.

• When you switch hosting or email providers, remove old A, MX, and TXT records instead of just adding new ones on top.