diff --git a/assets/components/PersonalizeHomeModal.tsx b/assets/components/PersonalizeHomeModal.tsx
index 59eb3b776..b071cdb15 100644
--- a/assets/components/PersonalizeHomeModal.tsx
+++ b/assets/components/PersonalizeHomeModal.tsx
@@ -172,12 +172,14 @@ class PersonalizeHomeModal extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
 
         const topicSearch = (searchMatches?.length ?? 0) > 0
             ? (
-                <div style={{padding: 4}}>
+                <div className='boxed-checklist'>
                     {searchMatches}
                 </div>
-            ) : <NoSearchMatches />;
+            ) : null;
+
+        const hasTopics = (filteredTopics(this.wireTopics).length ?? 0) > 0;
 
-        const groupedTopics = (this.props.topics?.length ?? 0) > 0 ? (
+        const groupedTopics = hasTopics ? (
             <div>
                 <div className='boxed-checklist'>
                     {filteredTopics(this.wireTopics).map((wireTopic) => (
@@ -309,7 +311,7 @@ class PersonalizeHomeModal extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
                                     </div>
                                 </form>
                             </div>
-                            {this.state.searchTerm ? topicSearch : groupedTopics}
+                            {this.state.searchTerm && hasTopics ? topicSearch : groupedTopics}
                         </div>
                     </aside>
                     <div
diff --git a/assets/utils.tsx b/assets/utils.tsx
index 2c7b3f0f8..7f6045498 100644
--- a/assets/utils.tsx
+++ b/assets/utils.tsx
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ export function gettext(text: string, params?: {[key: string]: any}): string {
     if (params) {
         Object.keys(params).forEach((param: string) => {
             const paramRegexp = new RegExp('{{ ?' + param + ' ?}}', 'g');
-            translated = translated.replace(paramRegexp, params[param] || '');
+            translated = translated.replace(paramRegexp, params[param] != null ? params[param] : '');
         });
     }