If you run a Facebook Page for a UK small business, you may already have seen a pop-up when you tried to post a link. Meta is limiting how many posts and comments with external links you can publish for free. On Pages where the limit is on, you get two a month unless you pay for Meta One.
This was current on 12 November 2026. Meta is rolling the change out page by page and has not published a timeline. Check what your own account shows before you spend anything.
By Mike Dunkling, founder of Zatheo, a web design and SEO agency in Ashford, Kent.
What has changed
Meta’s help centre says that if you are seeing a limit on posts with links on your Page, you can include links in up to two organic posts or comments per month. A Meta One Advanced, Expert or Max plan raises that cap. The free allowance resets on the 1st of each month, and unused allowances do not carry over.
The limit applies to links that send people off Meta, including your own website. According to Social Media Examiner, writing on 12 November 2026 with Facebook specialist Mari Smith, it counts if the link is in a link post, a photo post, a video post or a comment. Once you reach the limit, Social Media Examiner reports that you can still publish a link, but it will not be clickable.
For years many of us put the URL in the first comment rather than in the post itself. That no longer saves you an allowance, because links in comments from your Page count towards the monthly limit. There is one exception, also from the help centre: extra links in the comments of a post that already includes a link do not count again.
Meta tested the limit with selected Pages from December 2025 and is now enforcing it much more widely. Mint notes that there is no published timetable, the switch happens page by page, and you find out when a notice pops up as you go to publish a link. The help centre says it may not apply to every Page, and can differ between Pages you manage. Social Media Examiner says the cap also applies to personal profiles, and that publisher Pages belonging to media companies are reportedly exempt. Meta’s public help page is written about Pages, so treat those points as reported rather than official.
What is not affected
A lot of everyday Facebook use is unchanged. According to Meta’s help centre and Mint, these do not count towards the two-link limit:
- Links in ads. Paid ads can still include clickable links, and those links do not use your organic allowance.
- Links to Meta’s own apps and services, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.
- Facebook affiliate partnership links.
Photos, videos, Reels, text posts and messages have no new cap on their own. If you put an external link in a photo or video post, though, that post does count.
The website link on your Facebook Page or Instagram profile also stays clickable, according to BrandPromotion, which reviewed the offer shown on its own account.
What Meta One costs
Meta announced Meta One plans for businesses on 15 September 2026. Official prices are listed in US dollars:
- Essential: $14.99 a month, with no extra Facebook link posts. It includes a verified badge and more Meta Business Agent replies on WhatsApp.
- Advanced: $49.99 a month, the first plan that raises the link cap. Social Media Examiner reports 8 Facebook links and 4 Instagram links a month.
- Expert: $149.00 a month.
- Max: $499.00 a month, which Social Media Examiner reports removes the monthly Facebook link limit, with Instagram still capped at 12 a month.
Meta says pricing may vary by region, by app and by account. I have not seen a confirmed UK price list, so I am not converting these figures into pounds. Check the price shown in your own account before you subscribe.
Plans are priced per profile, so a Facebook Page and an Instagram account are separate subscriptions if you want the paid features on both. One European user, writing for BrandPromotion, was shown €43.99 a month per profile for Advanced. That is an anecdote, not official UK pricing.
On Instagram, clickable links in posts and Reels are a paid addition. The profile website link stays free. Advanced and above also include tools Meta lists in its announcement, as The Keyword and Jon Loomer also describe: scheduling posts and Reels up to a year ahead (and Stories up to 30 days), Instagram insights beyond 90 days with a CSV export, and competitor comparison against up to 10 public accounts.
Meta Business Agent, which can reply to WhatsApp Business messages, is free to get started, and paid plans raise the monthly volume of those replies. Meta One includes the verified badge and, Meta says, builds on Meta Verified. Nothing changes for current Verified subscribers until Meta notifies them they can switch.
Should you pay?
For most small businesses, I would be slow to reach for a subscription.
Mari Smith, speaking to Social Media Examiner on 12 November 2026, recommends that most businesses skip both Meta One and a standalone Meta Verified plan. Paying for more links does not come with extra reach. A better use of the same budget, she says, is often to put money behind the posts that are already doing well.
BrandPromotion reached a similar view: Meta One mainly pays off when a profile already has strong organic reach and link posts bring measurable visits. If the goal is enquiries or sales, the same money in Ads Manager often does more.
Mint reports that Meta’s head of subscriptions has said a plan does not give you extra reach on its own. If Facebook already sends you a steady stream of enquiries, a plan might earn its keep. If link posts barely register, keep the two free allowances for the posts that matter.
What to do now
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Check whether the limit has reached your Page. Try to publish a post with a link, or look for the notice Mint describes. If it has not appeared yet, keep posting as normal, but work through the rest of this list anyway.
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Make sure your profile website link is right. The website field on your Facebook Page and the link in your Instagram profile stay clickable and do not use your monthly allowance. Point them at the page you most want people to visit.
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Save your two free links for the posts that matter. Pick the two that most deserve a clickable URL this month, such as a new service page, a booking link or an event. Social Media Examiner also suggests pinning an important link post in the featured section.
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Send other links by message, not in the post. Mari Smith highlights a free comment trigger in Meta Business Suite: invite people to comment with a word, such as “PRICE” or “GUIDE”, and they can automatically receive a message with the link.
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Use ads for anything that needs clicks at volume. A sale, event or campaign that has to reach people this week belongs in Ads Manager, or as a boost on a post that is already doing well. Ads do not count towards the cap.
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Keep a path to your website that does not depend on a feed link. Rotate the Page’s main action button towards your site if that helps. Mari also suggests a short, memorable web address said out loud in a video, or a QR code.
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Lean on the channels Meta cannot ration. Your website, your email list and your presence on Google are still yours.
Own the channels Meta cannot cap
A limit on Facebook links is a good reminder that a social platform is rented space. You should not have to pay a monthly fee for the right to send a customer to your own website.
That is why I keep coming back to a clear website, an email list you actually write to, and a complete local SEO presence, including your Google Business Profile. Our strategy guide on marketing when Facebook rations your links sets out how your weekly process should change, with a 90-day plan.
If you want a site you can keep up to date without waiting on an agency ticket, we also build AI-driven websites as an option. The owner can update the site by messaging an AI assistant, within boundaries we agree at the start. It is not the right fit for every project.
If you would like a hand sorting out the website and the Google side of this, Book a free 30-minute call to talk it through.
Frequently asked questions
How many free Facebook links do I get each month?
On Pages where the limit is on, Meta’s help centre says two organic posts or comments with links per month. The allowance resets on the 1st of each month, and unused links do not carry over.
Does putting the link in the first comment still work?
Not as a way to avoid the limit. Links in comments from your Page count towards the cap. Extra links in the comments of a post that already includes a link do not count again.
Should a UK small business pay for Meta One?
For most, not automatically. Mari Smith told Social Media Examiner that most businesses should skip the subscription, use the two free links carefully, send other links by message, and boost posts that already perform well. Official Advanced pricing is $49.99 a month per profile in US dollars, with no confirmed UK price list.
Are Facebook ads and Instagram included in the two-link limit?
Ads are not affected, and links in ads do not count towards the cap. The two-link organic limit is a Facebook limit. On Instagram, clickable links in posts and Reels are a paid Meta One feature, but the website link on your profile stays clickable.