All the instructions I found specified cloning, so I didn't think of a fresh install. I see the advantage of a fresh install. The advantage of cloning is that it's simpler than a fresh install, just 1 step instead of 3 or more (back up user files, do install, restore user files) for a fresh install.
Since I have no experience at either of these, I'll explore the fresh install route. So far I have the SSD initialized and formatted. Now I can worry about putting the files on it.