One way you can try it is by using little add-on that Alta Vista provides. That kindly adds an option (in Internet Explorer 5) to Tools along menu, called "Find pages linking to this URL" - thus go to your's or your competitor's page and hit button. Download tool here: http://doc.altavista.com/help/search/linksearch.shtml

There is also specific syntax you can enter into each search engine's box, which will make it look for a URL, rather than for keywords. They all seem to have different requirements.

Many of those are listed in an excellent article, Web & Search Engine Facts You Need to Know to Win Marketing Game, By David Gikandi. The article has a lot of information on each of major search engines and how they work, including "How to check how many pages link to your site". David is a programmer at SearchPositioning.com. (www.searchpositioning.com). A copy of article can be found at: http://www.tucats-design.com/news/issue9.html

Also, there are several of these specific syntax requirements listed in Boogie Jack's Webmaster Tips program, FREE download and well worth it, from: http://www.boogiejack.com ipaday.html

Once you have found your targets, visit sites, find webmaster's email address and write offering a link swap. Personalise email, stress benefits to other party - it will benefit their traffic and search engine rankings too - and you should have a reasonable success rate.

One quick boost, following along principles above, is to participate in a simple system called Search Engine Beater http://www.ismy.net/searchbeater.html

1. Build subscribers to your newsletter and keep sending them back to your site for something; offers, content, freebies. These will be your best customers: your best sales force. Concentrate on building rapport with them and above all make it real easy for them to recommend your site. Consider http://recommend-it.com and give them an incentive for doing so.

2. Submit to search engines once a month. Your daily chore is to ensure that your site is fresh, your META tags in place, your links live, etc. I recommend http://SelfPromotion.com You can use it for FREE or pay a small amount to have your details kept in system to simplify repeat submissions. You will find all information and guidance you'll ever need right there and this service works. You get listed.

3. Concentrate on getting reciprocal links with other sites which are similar to and complimentary to yours. There are specialist directories for finding people who want to swap links, try http://www.swap-resources.com or use search engines and find out who is linked to your competitors. Write and propose swaps to webmasters. You'll get as much, if not more, targeted traffic from these links than you will from search engines, plus having links back to your site will improve your ranking on latter because of way link-popularity algorithms work. Make sure those who link to you are listed on search engines. Do it for them if they are not.

4. Once a day, submit classifieds ads, promotion to lists and newsgroups (only where appropriate).

5. Repeat steps 1-4 incessantly.