Title: Handling AJAX Filters and Browser Navigation in WordPress: To Improve or Not?

When developing dynamic websites, especially those with custom filter functionalities, a common concern is how filters should behave with browser navigation—particularly the back button. Recently, I encountered this challenge while building a tailor-made WordPress site for a freelance designer client, where I implemented custom AJAX category filters from scratch due to the unavailability of suitable plugins.

The filters function as intended, allowing users to refine their content seamlessly. However, an issue arises when a user clicks on a post and then presses the back button. Instead of the filters retaining their previous selections, they reset to the default state. This behavior can affect user experience, making navigation feel less intuitive.

Interestingly, my client hasn’t raised this concern. Yet, from a development standpoint, should I have anticipated that filters would be expected to preserve their state during browser navigation? Implementing this feature isn’t trivial; it would likely require a few days of work to properly manage browser history and state preservation, on top of the existing project scope.

Given that the project is already being delivered at a competitive price, I’m debating whether to offer this enhancement as an optional add-on for an additional fee or to leave the site as it is.

In your experience, should custom filters be designed to remember their state across navigation? And if so, what’s the best approach to achieve this without overextending project timelines?