That comes down to personal preference.
I have tried to get different sized and shaped plants by trying different things.
With topping i found that with the right plant you could heavily increase yield but the time frame would be altered, you would get set back by a couple of weeks to make up for the chop and the subsequent regrowth.
I grew "the beast" which was a 7 foot 15 ounce monster with lots of side branching.
What I am working on now is less bud per plant, I'm only growing colas and straight from clone. I personally now wouldnt flower a plant from seed, seed plants are only meant to be mothers indoors unless you have the space.
I'm currently growing about 1 - 1.5 foot colas, im going for quality not quantity.
check the last two posts on this thread if you havent already
https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/14002-send-clones-2.html#post181616