The areas that I am specifically looking at are Morocco, Spain, and anywhere West from there, or even the sub-saharan region. I've been wondering if it were possible for moderately successful merchants to undertake a very long journey to get there and if there was a decent number of people who would do it every year. It really seems quite impossible to fathom someone surviving that trip on terms of geographical danger and distance on its own and then when you consider they're probably carrying trade goods that could be a target of bandits, it seems pretty impossible. Any insight?
Also as a follow up, how seriously was the Hajj taken by Muslims living in those regions in light of the difficult journey?
It was made easier because of the early development of pilgrimage roads and the associated infrastructure that was built along it (caravanserai and other stopping/way-points). Both the Umayyad and 'Abbasid dynasties spent funds developing these routes so that these journeys could be made from fairly early dates. The Caliphs (as the Saudis still do today) even took some form of the title "Khādim al-Ḥaramayn," or "The Protector/Servant of the two Sanctuaries," referring to their responsibility towards Mecca and Medina. It's been a serious responsibility for a long time.
Some of these roads weren't built purely for pilgrims, either, though, as there were a series of trade roads and similar facilities that were constructed for the trade going from the Maghreb (north-west Africa) and sub-saharan/west Africa, to take advantage of the lucrative goods available in those regions.
In short: going on pilgrimage was something that was happening regularly even in the early medieval period, although it did require a commitment of both time and money in order to take part. An excellent primary source that discusses one Muslim's experience making the hajj and the journey he went on along the way is the work of Ibn Baṭṭūṭa, usually called the "riḥla" (literally, "journey" in Arabic) and partially translated in a number of forms.