Links to top (competitor) sites on Google help placement?

Am I understanding this properly?

[AzCowboy]

I have read Brett's guide to webpages for Google, and he mentions linking to one or two top sites for a given desired keyword, from the page you wish to place highly for that keyword. (If I am reading this correctly).

I have also read similar comments in these forums, where somebody said that they went from #150 to #8, simply by adding such a link.

Am I missing something here?

The way I understand these instructions - then I should like to my main competitors - or to something totally unrelated - whatever comes up #1 - from whatever page I want to get high placement for a given
search term?

Am I truely mis-understanding these comments - or is this really what is being advised?

Comments please!

[zgb999]

If Nokia is number one for a search at Google and you link to that page Google will know that you have some valuable link on your page.

Google indeed likes that.

You find a thread about linking to your competitors here:
[webmasterworld.com...]

[Hissingsid]

Hi,

I've found that Google is actually missing earlier uses of the terms on my pages and listing the words close to outbound words in anchor text in the SERPs.

To clarify I've got those terms in internal link anchor text early in my page document but Google skips those in favour of outbound links containing those terms.

Best wishes

Sid

[zgb999]

Interesting! This might show that Google is giving text around an outgoing link some special weight.

[nuevojefe]

I've found that Google is actually missing earlier uses of the terms on my pages and listing the words close to outbound words in anchor text in the SERPs.

To clarify I've got those terms in internal link anchor text early in my page document but Google skips those in favour of outbound links containing those terms.

Sid, the first paragraph makes it sound as if you are searching for "porky pig bits" and seeing porky *Outbound anchortext* pig spider */anchortext* bits showing in google desc. Over earlier complete instances of porky pig bits in your content somewhere.

The second one makes it sound like you're saying google uses your external *porky pig bits* over your internal *porky pig bits* as part of their desc. or preview in the SERPs.

Which one?