Frequently Asked Questions

About Sumie Designs

What is Sumie Designs?

Sumie Designs is a digital marketing agency based in Charlotte, NC, with offices in Charlotte and New York. Founded in 1997, we specialize in AI-powered marketing, web design, SEO, paid search, social media management, and e-commerce optimization for small and mid-sized businesses.

How long has Sumie Designs been in business?

Since September 1997 — over 29 years of active digital marketing experience. We've been helping businesses grow online since the early days of the web.

Where is Sumie Designs located?

Our primary office is in Cornelius, NC (Charlotte area) at 20619 Torrence Chapel Rd Suite 116 #1299. We also have a presence in New York, NY and serve clients nationwide.

What makes Sumie Designs different from other agencies?

Three things: 29 years of experience, an always-on AI agent team that works 24/7, and a genuine commitment to results over optics. We don't just run campaigns — we build marketing systems that compound over time.

AI Marketing Agents

What are AI marketing agents?

AI marketing agents are autonomous software programs that run 24/7 to handle specific marketing tasks — lead generation, competitor monitoring, content publishing, SEO tracking, and campaign optimization — without requiring additional staff or manual oversight.

How do Sumie Designs' AI agents work?

We deploy a custom team of named AI agents (Scout for leads, Quill for content, Hawk for competitor intel, Vera for analytics, and more) that operate continuously on your behalf. They surface insights, draft content, flag opportunities, and keep your digital presence active around the clock.

Are AI agents replacing human marketers?

No — they're amplifying them. Our AI agents handle the repetitive, data-intensive work so human strategists can focus on decisions, relationships, and creative direction. The best results come from the combination.

What is a self-healing AI marketing system?

Our AI infrastructure includes monitoring agents that detect failures, errors, or performance drops and automatically correct them — without human intervention. This means your campaigns and content pipelines keep running even when issues arise.

Services & Pricing

What services does Sumie Designs offer?

Web design and development, SEO, paid search, social media management, email marketing, e-commerce optimization, content strategy, AI agent deployment, and AI Engine Optimization (AEO/GEO). If it drives digital growth, we do it.

How much does digital marketing cost at Sumie Designs?

Our retainers start at $750/month (Launchpad), scale to $2,500/month (Growth Engine) and $5,000/month (Full Stack). Custom enterprise packages are also available. All plans include AI-powered tools and reporting.

Do you offer one-time projects or only retainers?

Our primary model is monthly retainers because digital marketing compounds over time — one-time projects rarely move the needle. That said, we do offer standalone web design projects for clients who need a new site before committing to ongoing marketing.

What is the minimum commitment?

Just 90 days. After that, retainers are month-to-month. We earn your continued business by delivering results.

Web Design

Does Sumie Designs build websites?

Yes — custom websites built to convert. We specialize in modern, fast, SEO-ready websites for small and mid-sized businesses. Our builds use Next.js, WordPress, and other platforms depending on client needs.

How long does a website take to build?

Typically 4–8 weeks for a standard business website, depending on complexity and content readiness. E-commerce sites may take longer.

What e-commerce platforms do you work with?

If it has a storefront, we can grow it. We work with every major e-commerce platform — hosted, open-source, headless, or custom-built. Storefront design, conversion optimization, integrations, email automation — whatever your stack, we make it perform.

SEO & Local Search

Does Sumie Designs do SEO for Charlotte businesses?

Absolutely. Local SEO is one of our core specialties. We help Charlotte-area businesses rank for competitive local searches — whether you're in Charlotte, Cornelius, Huntersville, Lake Norman, or the broader Carolinas.

How long does SEO take to show results?

Most clients see measurable movement in 90–120 days, with significant results at 6 months. SEO is a long game — but the compounding returns are unmatched by any paid channel.

What is AI Engine Optimization (AEO/GEO)?

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) are practices that optimize your brand to appear in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. As more people use AI for product and service discovery, being cited in those answers is the new first-page ranking.

Working With Us

How do I get started with Sumie Designs?

Fill out the form at sumiedesigns.com/work-with-us or email grow@sumiedesigns.com. We'll respond within 24 hours with a custom strategy proposal.

Do you work with businesses outside Charlotte?

Yes — our infrastructure is location-agnostic and we serve clients nationwide. Charlotte and the Carolinas are our home market, but geography is no barrier.

What industries do you work with?

All verticals. We've worked with e-commerce, medical supply, professional services, construction contractors, HVAC, restaurants, legal, real estate, and more. If you need to grow online, we can help.