Hi Caitlyn, I’m a German SEO. I almost always build my websites on .com or any international domain. then use correct hreflang settings to create a German version. But I DO NOT just translate the content. That’s I think a mistake that could cause problems because sometimes the keywords require a unique optimization or even different keyword to target. What can happen if you just translate your website, you might end up with many pages that don’t rank and therefore hurt your overall SEO. Since a so-called Helpful Content Audit, the entire website can be dragged down but non-performing pages.
In general, German SEO is easier than English - but certain tactics like link building are more expensive.
If you need help with international SEO feel free to follow up with me - sh-media.co is my website where can you see that in action, too.