GTDB already has a way to automatically unfold to a tree node on browsing using a URL like https://gtdb.ecogenomic.org/tree?r=g__Altarchaeum, but this permalink functionality is not obvious to users using the tree view, as it’s only exposed on the genome info page (e.g. https://gtdb.ecogenomic.org/genomes?gid=GCA_001873845.1).
Many modern webapps seem to have a way to reflect state changes in URL without reloading the page. It’s easier to do via #-states, but window.history can be used to change any part.
Having an easy-to-access permalink should help people reference specific GTDB taxa.