It makes almost no difference at all if you tape your stick well. I tape heel to toe because I like to tape over the toe.
Seriously, I've tried wide, narrow, friction, regular, waxed, unwaxed, rubbed with a puck, melt wax in with a heat gun, rub wax in by hand, rub wax in with a puck, rip tape in half, wide ridges, narrow ridges, thicker tape, thinner tape, black, white, colored, heel to toe, toe to heel, it makes almost no difference what you do. I used to think it did, and it didn't.
I melt wax into the blade because it seems to help reduce snow buildup a little bit. That's about it. I use wide tape because it's slightly quicker to tape up the blade and easier to go over the toe. I alternate between black and white because that's what I have at my house.