If you trying to keep an eye on them the best way to do that is through the webmaster tool through google.
The links from other sites are called backlinks.The SERP and PR are related to this backlinks.You can build backlinks from different methods : Directory Submission Article Submission Social Bookmarking etc!
You first need a google account. Then, you need to sign up for google webmaster tools. Then, you look at the link popularity of your site. If you need help doing these things, google has plenty of help under their help section.