How do you "install" utility built using gnu toolchain?

[Dale Scott]

It's pretty general question, but is it typically standard procedure for a utility building using the GNU tool chain to be able to install itself into /usr/local/bin? E.g. "# gmake install" ?? Is there anything a newb can check for without having to fully understand the complete build procedure (and not destroy my system in the process)?

The mdbtools port is based on the last official release of the project - v0.5 in 2003. I've compiled the current head of the project from github in a personal directory and tests have passed (I'm using a php app with mdb-export to copy data from a Jet4 database to MySQL). Now I'd like to put the executables in /usr/local/bin for shared access (in place of the utilities installed by the mdbtools-0.5 port). The project builds using the GNU tool chain without any customizations (using config and gmake). I'd prefer to do this properly with a port, but until the project has had an official release and I've learned how to create a port, are there any shortcuts? I naively tried copying what I thought were the executables, and then discovered they were shell scripts that only ran from the build directory. Huh?
 
Could it be as simple as "# gmake install" (and that not be a horribly stupid thing to try)?
 
Thanks,
Dale