Grade the land away from the building.

"Grading" is normally done with plain old dirt. You could do it with just shovels.

Gravel and a pipe with holes in it could be used to add a French Drain.

It's an old house? Check for:
1.) Old, leaky basement bulkheads. They can wear out...sometimes a tarp will fix the problem.
2.) Porches/Patios/additions/decks that mess with drainage.
Sometimes the people who built the house actually did think about drainage...but later renovations messed up the drainage. An ill conceived addition can cause water that once poured off a steeply sloped roof to accumulate in a corner where the house and addition meet. For similar reasons;
3.) Clogged/covered/paved over/landscaped over French Drains/Sump Pumps.

This post was edited by edlincoln on Mon, Sep 15, 14 at 9:25

All the above.

As well, don't just move the downspout a few feet out from the house. Put it underground and extend it twenty--forty or more feet away. It's one bit of work that's a lot easier than you'd think and very effective.

Here is a link that might be useful: Extending your Downspouts