DNS does not resolve (NXDOMAIN)

Problem

Consensus DNS audit returned NXDOMAIN: authoritative servers answer that the name does not exist.

Why it matters

• Nothing can reach the site — no browsers, no crawlers, no email.
• Search engines de-index dead names within days.
• If the domain expired, squatters can register it and inherit your traffic and reputation.

How to fix

1. Check the registration: whois yourdomain.com — renew if expired.
2. Check the delegation: registrar must point at the correct nameservers.
3. Check the zone: the host (e.g. www) must actually exist in the zone file.
4. Wait out the negative TTL, then re-run the audit.