Believe it or not, you can get links that either don't cost you a cent, or very little. Most of these methods are very time consuming so remember, you get what you either pay for or put into it. By consistently spending as little as an hour a day, you can increase your inbound links and page rank.

One method is to simply email every website you can think of in your niche and ask them for a link. In many cases people say yes and you have one. Be polite in the email and explain what visitors to your site can gain with the resource. To make it east for the link to be added include a html coded link that can be cut and pasted to make the link. Another way to spin this is instead of asking for the link as for a link exchange.

You can also try a form of link-bait. Post testimonials about other webmasters websites on your site. As soon as they are up, send a link to the owner of the website commenting about your review. Many times this will result in a link back to your page in order for the webmaster to show off the favorable review.

Go to online forums and discussion groups. Make useful and relevant comments in the on-going discussions. Most of these forums allow for a signature with a link back to your site. If your comments are useful, it may inspire people to visit your site.

Write and post free articles online at article directories. You can find many of these directories by doing searches at Google, Yahoo! or MSN. Nearly all of these directories will allow you to publish your articles for free. They will also allow you a bio box where you can place links back to your website. If your article is good enough other websites may re-use your article at another site resulting in more links.

If your site has something of value, say it distributes a newsletter. You can promote a contest that offers advertisement space in your newsletter for a free link to your website.

Lastly, submit your website to as many directories as you can. Webmasters readily agree that directory submission is the best way to gain the targeted traffic to your site that you are craving. When you list your site in a directory, users of the web will view that page as a reliable resource for your specified niche. There are directories that will charge up to $299 per year for a listing, but most budgets don't allow for that. Submit to smaller directories where you will find expenses more in line with your budget. You can still find premium quality directories at a more reasonable fee such as http://AuthorityDirectory.com that can help you get the results you want.