A home builder in New Jersey, RSA Homes, is suing both Google and The Rip Off Report, a consumer advocate website based in Arizona.

The home builder’s attorney cites the 2nd result on Google for the search “RSA Homes,” an anonymous posting on Ripoffreport.com which describes RSA’s finished product as a “nightmare,” as written by the Star-Ledger.

So why the big stink?

The company’s brand reputation online resulted in the owner’s inability to secure loans. It all started when the owner of RSA Homes, Raffi Arslanian, attempted to secure funding for a new development. Three different banks rejected Arslanian after searching Google and finding the prominently displayed Rip Off Report web page in Google.

Judging by the current results in Google for the search, “RSA Homes” (below), it would make sense for Arslanian to change his name, his company’s name, and probably move to another part of the country. Ars(e)lanian’s antics even made the daily “dumbassery” section of Nashvilleistalking.com.

This story is a clear and present example of why brands need to take control of their brand real estate in the search engines to address instances of Brand Abuse and Brand Erosion.

If you are familiar with our Brand Command methodology, you know that one of the tenets is to D-O-M-I-N-A-T-E brand real estate–in both natural and paid results. This strategy is the most effective way to address unwanted visibility and convert visitors. Is your company planning to protect your brand reputation and make brand real estate a priority?

There is little doubt in my mind that as our industry evolves, so will rise the efforts of the disgruntled, right or wrong, to destroy the reputations of brands in the search engines.

Technorati tags: brand reputation, google, online marketing