Submit to as many free directories as you can, place you link in forum signatures and also submit to social bookmarking sites and I am sure you will get a pr 3 site in no time
Build relevant links for your site and make sure they have good authority in google....If you want to know more about link building...Pm me about your niche...I will help you out with the ways of link building for your site....dont worry the consulting is absolutely free
As the above post says- quality reciprocal linking. Its free but takes dedication. Its worth it in the end though!
What sort of site are you promoting? This will influence some of your promotion strategies. Also, dont' expecthe PR to change overnight. They're only updated every 3 months or so.
No, of course not. Can you buy me a new car? Probably not becuase its my responsibility, and if I can't afford one than I shouldn't be driving with the bigboys anyway. I should be walking. But I can help you, help yourself. Directories There are plenty of sites that show lists of free directories. http://www.bestcatalog.net/seo_tips/directories.htm http://directorylist.sitedesigntutorial.com http://www.classicseo.com/100freedirectories.html http://www.echoarcade.com/directory.php http://www.submission4u.com/strongest-phpld-directory.php Doing a google search will help you find more, but be careful not to submit to too many on a new site. Do under 1000 directories in the first month or google will penalize your site. You do this and for the next update, you can enjoy a pr increase, but it does require effort and time.
I don't think signature links help much except for exposure. I guess, the real secret lies in directory submissions and article directories.