Understanding AJAX Filters and Browser Navigation: Do You Need to Support the Back Button?

When developing custom WordPress solutions, especially for freelance clients, many developers encounter questions around AJAX-driven functionalities and user navigation. One common scenario involves implementing category filters that leverage AJAX for a seamless experience.

Recently, I was working on a bespoke website for a freelance designer, built on a white-label basis. To meet specific project requirements, I developed custom AJAX filters from scratch since existing plugins didn’t fully cater to the desired functionality. The filters work smoothly—users can select categories, and content updates dynamically without page reloads.

However, a subtle but important issue arose: when visitors click on a post and then press the browser’s back button, the filters reset instead of restoring to the previous selections. This leads me to wonder: should supporting the browser’s back button for AJAX filters be an expected feature? Did I overlook this aspect during development?

In this project, the client didn’t raise the issue, but from a usability standpoint, preserving filter states enhances the user experience. Implementing such functionality could involve adding URL parameters or leveraging the browser’s history API, which isn’t trivial and might take a couple of days to implement properly.

Given that I am already pricing this project competitively, should I offer this enhancement as an optional extra? Or is it reasonable to leave the filters as they currently stand, especially since it wasn’t explicitly requested?

In the realm of custom web development, it’s important to clarify expectations around features like browser navigation support. Supporting the back button in AJAX-driven interfaces can significantly improve usability but requires additional development work. Assessing whether to include this feature should balance project scope, client expectations, and budget considerations.