Facebook’s 2 Link Limit in Australia: What To Do
Facebook Wants You to Pay for Links? Let's Uncomplify That
I've said this a bazillion times, and I'm sure I'll say it a bazillion more, "You don't own your socials! You DO own your email database ... and your website content!" If you're relying on socials, this might just be a big ole shock that you now may need to be paying Meta ... but hopefully you've got an email database that you're growing consistently, and reaching your audience through email marketing! BUT ... read on, and I'll share all the news with you!!
Now that Meta's paid subscriptions have landed in Australia and New Zealand, Asia, and starting to roll out in the USA, Canada and the UK, the internet has OPINIONS 👀. I've been reading the chatter (cup of tea in hand 🫖) and my verdict is that there's a LOT of scaremongering going on ... so I'm unpacking it and sharing what's really going on, some smart workarounds, and what I'm doing about it (and what I'm recommending to my clients, and helping them to do!)
What's happening
Meta One launched in Australia in September 2026, with single-app plans from AUD 3.99 a month and business packages reaching AUD 769 a month. Some Pages without a paid plan are now limited to two Facebook link posts a month, a limit Meta first tested in December 2025. Initially I thought, "oh here's an easy workaround, we'll just continue putting our links in the comments! bahaha!" but alas ... links in comments count toward those two too, so my old "link in the first comment" trick is out😂. Rollout is patchy and will take months, so you may not have seen it yet. If you haven't, count yourself lucky and plan ahead! The first I saw it, was the Bangalow Show Society Facebook page a few months ago. My daughter and I (she also works for Hello Media while she's at uni, studying law and International Relations!) volunteer doing their socials, and everyone else on the committee are also all volunteers. We'd already posted two posts with links before the ban applied, so the next post where I put a link, I got this notification!
Quite frankly, that was very annoying as we'd had no forewarning! Our posts are currently all about alerting the community of Bangalow (our wee village) every day or two that the next category is officially open for people to enter or find out more ... things like Camp Drafting, Junior Horticulture and Cookery, Champion Rich Fruit Cake of the Show, you know the sort of thing I'm talking about ... good Country Show pavilion, ring and poultry sections - so without being able to share links, we were stumped! As volunteers, asking the volunteer "website person" to now make a links page, is a big ask. So it's more important than ever to get really strategic in how we use those links ... more about that as you read on!
What doesn't count
Here's the good news! Links to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads don't count, nor do links in ads, links to Facebook Events and Groups, or extra links in the comments of a post where you've already included one. Also, photos, videos and chats with customers carry on as usual. Meta's own reporting shows link posts made up only 1.3% of widely viewed content in the US in early 2026, down from 9.8% in 2022, so this channel was already a quiet one. Why? Because we all have known for a very long time, that posts with links in them get sorely reduced reach! So for a verrry long time we've been putting the link in the comments, or in Stories ...
Who's affected?
Anyone whose Facebook strategy is “post a link, send people to my website”. Think online shops sharing product pages, bloggers and content creators, coaches and course creators promoting a freebie, cafés and restaurants with booking links, real estate agents, event organisers (hello, Bangalow Show Society! 🙋♀️) and not-for-profits sharing sign-up or donation links (shoutout to our fabulous client, Scleroderma Australia!).
It’s not only business Pages either ... personal profiles with Professional Mode switched on come under the same limit, so def you should be checking your settings! And if you (like us!) manage Pages for clients, or you’re a volunteer doing the socials for a community group (I see you!), you’ll be feeling this one too. Plan those two links carefully!
Own your list
The smartest thing to do: you DO own your email list and your website, while Facebook and Instagram are Meta's property. We (businesses with a Facebook business page, or business Instagram account) have been using this space (and paying no rent!) since Meta launched. Lucky us! Yes, it's gotten harder and harder in recent years to be seen, get reach, engagement etc from the audience who actually chooses to follow you ... but still, it's FREE!
Think of social media as the shopfront window and your email list as the keys to the building. Once someone lands in your DMs, invite them onto your list, then you can send them any link you like, any time. Uncomplified!
Where the traffic comes from
There's buzz talk out there about the importance of people going back to relying on their own websites. What on earth? That should NEVER have stopped, your website is the HUB of your business! All efforts you make - email marketing, social media, paid ads, free webinars ... whatever you're doing, needs to DRIVE traffic to your WEBSITE! That's where the conversions happen. Whether that conversion is to buy something, book something, sign up to something, it's all a conversion. So your website is a gorgeous (and highly converting) home that still needs people knock knock knocking on the door! Oh, and I've also been reading about how we shouldn't underestimate the power of the Yellow Pages ... Yikes. 📖. I'm not sure I agree with that one.
The "I started with nothing" crowd
I hear this one all the time, and it’s a goodie. Facebook let business owners open their doors with no capital, no signage, no workshop lease and no website to pay for. Kitchen table, a smartphone, a Facebook page and away they went! That’s powerful, and it’s why this change hurts (hard)😝! When you’re just starting out, anything that smells like a new cost feels like another barrier.
My view, and it’s a positive one, is that the starting line hasn’t moved. A free Facebook page, photos, videos, Stories, Reels and DMs all work exactly as they did before. The limit only touches links that send people OFF Facebook, and you’ve still got two of those a month, plus plenty of clever workarounds (keep reading!). So start small. Show up consistently, collect email addresses from day one, and build your own website when you’re ready. A bold strategy and a clear plan beat panic, every time. 💪
The price tag
If a paid plan (Meta One) still works out cheaper than print or online advertising, plenty of businesses will pay it and pop it into their prices. Fair! Marketing has always had a price tag. The win is knowing what each dollar buys you.
I can't say that I'm steering clients towards Google Ads anymore ... in all transparency, I'm not. Quite the opposite, but I AM steering them ALL towards Meta Ads, and getting fabulous results for them!
⬆️ These stats are a screenshot from inside a clients Shopify account, showing Q3 2026 GROWTH ... due to the new Sales Ads we launched for her! Is it worth running ads? HellsBells it sure is! BUT you need to be strategic, don't ever just press "BOOST" and know what you're doing! Chat to us if you're not sure!
Other platforms, AI and Google
There's been a lot of discussion around new platforms replacing Facebook, AI shaking up websites, SEO being paramount, and "just go back to Google ads, same thing different company". I think they're all partly right (except for the Google Ads comments!), which is exactly why one channel shouldn't carry your whole business. Your brand is the lighthouse, and platforms are the ships passing by. 🚢
SEO (and AEO and GEO) are more important than ever before ... we want you to be (a) showing up in the Google AI Overview at the top of a Google Search, (b) being RECOMMENDED by AI when someone asks it a question, and (c) ensuring that AI can understand your business so it can mention you, rank you, talk about you, promote you ... you can find out more about that in some of my other blogs, which I've listed at the bottom of this post.
Smart ways to keep the traffic flowing
Good news, you’ve got plenty of options! Here's what I’d put to work first:
Invite people into your DMs. Make “message us” your main call to action, then continue the conversation there. A chat is where trust gets built, and it’s often where the sales happen!
Set up a comment keyword. Pop a free automation into Meta Business Suite so when someone comments a word like “GUIDE”, the info lands straight in their inbox. Set it up once and it keeps working while you’re out on a bike ride. 🚲 (Also, plenty of people already have ManyChat, Magnify Hub, all automated by a single word in the comments. Eg "comment YES and I'll send it straight over!" and magically a link, or a PDF, or a discount code arrives in your DMs in a nanosecond. That's some clever automation happening right there!)
Give your always-on spots some love. Your Page intro, profile links and Action Button sit there around the clock and sit outside your monthly link count. Make sure each one points somewhere brilliant.
Create a links page on your own website and share that one link. More on this one below!
Pin your posts that introduce who you are & what you do, how they can get on your email list, and how you help! Use one of your two monthly links on a juicy lead magnet, pin it to your Featured section and send people there regularly. A free resource is a little bit of link-building-warm-audience magic, right there!
Lean on Facebook Events and Groups. Links to these sit outside the limit, so use them for workshops, launches and community chats.
Mix up your formats. Try links in Stories, a QR code on an image post (use this one sparingly, because HELLOooo ... while it CAN be done, scanning a QR code from a post on your phone, is tricky 🤪, or a short memorable web address said out loud or shown on screen in your Lives and Reels.
An important note on number 4, because it's important! Linktree style tools send all the SEO traffic to THEIR website, so every visit your links earn builds someone else’s visibility. That’s a blocker IMHO! A links page on your own website sends that traffic to you, every single time. If you’re a Magnify Hub user, I’m happy to drop a ready-made links page into your account for you to copy, and you can edit it however you like. Take a peek here: hellomedia.team/links 🔦
Plan your two links
Treat your two monthly links like gold💰. Save them for your highest value offer, lead magnet, launch or event. Mari Smith (link to her blog post below) points out that this nudges everyone towards DM-first, conversation-led marketing, which is exactly what Meta wants and what great relationship marketers have been doing for years. Fewer links, more conversations. 💬
"One less social media account to manage"
This is ridiculous IMHO, although I'm reading it all over the internet (reddit, substack, socials, and in Facebook groups), and while yes (me, quietly cheering) that would be relaxing, but the reality is Facebook can be brilliant for business, and if that's where your customers/clients are - that's where you need to be!
My verdict
I won't be paying AUD 769 a month, and neither will most small business owners reading this. The noise is big. The detail is a monthly limit on posts that take people off Facebook, with plenty of ways around it.
Also, I did pay for Meta Verified for over a year, when that came out. It was AUD 29.95 and it promised better support. But my Facebook page was blocked and banned due to "schmyber schmecurity" issues on one of my posts (are you kidding me?!! It was a post about a new update on Meta AI ... nothing dodgy in it🤦♀️) and that original post is STILL UP in my Facebook group and Instagram account, yet because of it my Facebook business page was permanently shut down. I was paying for Meta Verified, but did I get better (or any 😝) support? Nope! Did I waste hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of hours over many months? YES. So will I be going down the pay-for-it road? Nope. Probably not!
My plan
Links in ads sit outside the limit, so THAT right there is the retargeting side of my Smart Ads Visibility System (SAVS)💥. It's an investment up front (AUD 3000, and takes us a full month!), then it runs on about $10 AUD a day (roughly $300 AUD a month), building awareness and engagement with a cold audience and retargeting your warm audience, over and over. Your visibility keeps ticking along in the background while you get on with serving your clients. OMGoodness, it's honestly amazing. My clients have seen brilliant results from it!!
So, imagine opening your laptop next Monday knowing your visibility is already doing its thing. If you want to know more, you can check out our SAVS page, or just go ahead and book a free strategy chat with me here (insert link) because (a) you might just need help tweaking and auditing what you've already set up, or (b) you might want to go all in and have us do it for you! Ready to uncomplify your strategy? What are you waiting for? I'm keen to chat!
FAQs
Q: What is Facebook’s two-link limit?
A: Meta is limiting some Facebook Pages and Professional Mode profiles to two organic posts or comments with outside website links per month, unless they pay for a Meta One subscription.
Q: Is the Facebook link limit in Australia?
A: Yes. Meta One launched in Australia in September 2026, and Australian Pages are already seeing the limit. Rollout varies by region and account, so you may not have seen it yet.
Q: Which links don’t count toward the limit?
A: Links to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, Facebook Events and Groups, and links in ads don’t count. Extra links in the comments of a post that already has a link are also exempt.
Q: How much does Meta One cost in Australia?
A: Single-app plans start at AUD 3.99 (personal account) and AUD 22.99 (business and creator accounts) per month, and business packages reach AUD 769 a month.
Q: How can I share links on Facebook without paying?
A: Invite people into your DMs, use comment keyword automations, create a links page on your own website, pin a post with your best link, share Events and Groups, and run ads. Then grow your email list so you own the relationship.
Q: Do links in ads count toward the limit?
A: No. Links in ads sit outside the monthly limit.
Additional Resources:
insert links to AEO SEO GEO blog posts etc
Mari Smith: Facebook's New 2-Link Limit, 15 Smart Ways to Keep Driving Traffic
Mediaweek: Meta One lands in Australia with paid AI and creator tiers
Social Media Today: Facebook Pages get charged for link posts
The Next Web: Meta launches Meta One subscriptions worldwide
Mediaweek: Facebook tests limiting link sharing to paid users
