diff --git a/.changeset/empty-taxis-search.md b/.changeset/empty-taxis-search.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ad45f290d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/empty-taxis-search.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-api-docs': patch
+'@backstage/plugin-catalog': patch
+---
+
+Update messaging when no entities are in a table.
diff --git a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ConsumedApisCard.test.tsx b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ConsumedApisCard.test.tsx
index 5d2978a198..b157e898ca 100644
--- a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ConsumedApisCard.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ConsumedApisCard.test.tsx
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ describe('<ConsumedApisCard />', () => {
     );
 
     expect(getByText(/Consumed APIs/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(getByText(/No Component consumes this API/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(getByText(/does not consume any APIs/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
   it('shows consumed APIs', async () => {
diff --git a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ConsumedApisCard.tsx b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ConsumedApisCard.tsx
index adfa3cd34c..9c3203d532 100644
--- a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ConsumedApisCard.tsx
+++ b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ConsumedApisCard.tsx
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import {
   Progress,
   WarningPanel,
 } from '@backstage/core';
+import { Typography } from '@material-ui/core';
 import {
   EntityTable,
   useEntity,
@@ -71,11 +72,15 @@ export const ConsumedApisCard = ({ variant = 'gridItem' }: Props) => {
       title="Consumed APIs"
       variant={variant}
       emptyContent={
-        <div>
-          No Component consumes this API.{' '}
-          <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#specconsumesapis-optional">
-            Learn how to consume APIs.
-          </Link>
+        <div style={{ textAlign: 'center' }}>
+          <Typography variant="body1">
+            This {entity.kind.toLowerCase()} does not consume any APIs.
+          </Typography>
+          <Typography variant="body2">
+            <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#specconsumesapis-optional">
+              Learn how to change this.
+            </Link>
+          </Typography>
         </div>
       }
       columns={apiEntityColumns}
diff --git a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/HasApisCard.test.tsx b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/HasApisCard.test.tsx
index 7b97f0867e..5db3ec2b48 100644
--- a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/HasApisCard.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/HasApisCard.test.tsx
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ describe('<HasApisCard />', () => {
     );
 
     expect(getByText('APIs')).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(getByText(/No API is part of this system/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(getByText(/does not contain any APIs/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
   it('shows related APIs', async () => {
diff --git a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/HasApisCard.tsx b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/HasApisCard.tsx
index c3e636b1f1..beeb4d051e 100644
--- a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/HasApisCard.tsx
+++ b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/HasApisCard.tsx
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import {
   TableColumn,
   WarningPanel,
 } from '@backstage/core';
+import { Typography } from '@material-ui/core';
 import {
   EntityTable,
   useEntity,
@@ -75,11 +76,15 @@ export const HasApisCard = ({ variant = 'gridItem' }: Props) => {
       title="APIs"
       variant={variant}
       emptyContent={
-        <div>
-          No API is part of this system.{' '}
-          <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#kind-api">
-            Learn how to add APIs.
-          </Link>
+        <div style={{ textAlign: 'center' }}>
+          <Typography variant="body1">
+            This {entity.kind.toLowerCase()} does not contain any APIs.
+          </Typography>
+          <Typography variant="body2">
+            <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#kind-api">
+              Learn how to change this.
+            </Link>
+          </Typography>
         </div>
       }
       columns={columns}
diff --git a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ProvidedApisCard.test.tsx b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ProvidedApisCard.test.tsx
index 0d49cc328d..bb9b2e60d9 100644
--- a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ProvidedApisCard.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ProvidedApisCard.test.tsx
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ describe('<ProvidedApisCard />', () => {
     );
 
     expect(getByText(/Provided APIs/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(getByText(/No component provides this API/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(getByText(/does not provide any APIs/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
   it('shows consumed APIs', async () => {
diff --git a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ProvidedApisCard.tsx b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ProvidedApisCard.tsx
index f02390b6d6..2447054b89 100644
--- a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ProvidedApisCard.tsx
+++ b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ApisCards/ProvidedApisCard.tsx
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import {
   Progress,
   WarningPanel,
 } from '@backstage/core';
+import { Typography } from '@material-ui/core';
 import {
   EntityTable,
   useEntity,
@@ -71,11 +72,15 @@ export const ProvidedApisCard = ({ variant = 'gridItem' }: Props) => {
       title="Provided APIs"
       variant={variant}
       emptyContent={
-        <div>
-          No component provides this API.{' '}
-          <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#specprovidesapis-optional">
-            Learn how to provide APIs.
-          </Link>
+        <div style={{ textAlign: 'center' }}>
+          <Typography variant="body1">
+            This {entity.kind.toLowerCase()} does not provide any APIs.
+          </Typography>
+          <Typography variant="body2">
+            <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#specprovidesapis-optional">
+              Learn how to change this.
+            </Link>
+          </Typography>
         </div>
       }
       columns={apiEntityColumns}
diff --git a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ComponentsCards/ConsumingComponentsCard.tsx b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ComponentsCards/ConsumingComponentsCard.tsx
index 7e4d97fece..914d034237 100644
--- a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ComponentsCards/ConsumingComponentsCard.tsx
+++ b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ComponentsCards/ConsumingComponentsCard.tsx
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import {
   Progress,
   WarningPanel,
 } from '@backstage/core';
+import { Typography } from '@material-ui/core';
 import {
   EntityTable,
   useEntity,
@@ -70,11 +71,15 @@ export const ConsumingComponentsCard = ({ variant = 'gridItem' }: Props) => {
       title="Consumers"
       variant={variant}
       emptyContent={
-        <div>
-          No component consumes this API.{' '}
-          <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#specconsumesapis-optional">
-            Learn how to consume APIs.
-          </Link>
+        <div style={{ textAlign: 'center' }}>
+          <Typography variant="body1">
+            No component consumes this API.
+          </Typography>
+          <Typography variant="body2">
+            <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#specconsumesapis-optional">
+              Learn how to change this.
+            </Link>
+          </Typography>
         </div>
       }
       columns={EntityTable.componentEntityColumns}
diff --git a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ComponentsCards/ProvidingComponentsCard.tsx b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ComponentsCards/ProvidingComponentsCard.tsx
index d755d8b5af..7c87943a9b 100644
--- a/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ComponentsCards/ProvidingComponentsCard.tsx
+++ b/plugins/api-docs/src/components/ComponentsCards/ProvidingComponentsCard.tsx
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import {
   Progress,
   WarningPanel,
 } from '@backstage/core';
+import { Typography } from '@material-ui/core';
 import {
   EntityTable,
   useEntity,
@@ -70,11 +71,15 @@ export const ProvidingComponentsCard = ({ variant = 'gridItem' }: Props) => {
       title="Providers"
       variant={variant}
       emptyContent={
-        <div>
-          No component provides this API.{' '}
-          <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#specprovidesapis-optional">
-            Learn how to provide APIs.
-          </Link>
+        <div style={{ textAlign: 'center' }}>
+          <Typography variant="body1">
+            No component provides this API.
+          </Typography>
+          <Typography variant="body2">
+            <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#specprovidesapis-optional">
+              Learn how to change this.
+            </Link>
+          </Typography>
         </div>
       }
       columns={EntityTable.componentEntityColumns}
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/HasComponentsCard/HasComponentsCard.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/HasComponentsCard/HasComponentsCard.tsx
index eb8e96d9b3..b6eae81f30 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/HasComponentsCard/HasComponentsCard.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/HasComponentsCard/HasComponentsCard.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {
   Progress,
   WarningPanel,
 } from '@backstage/core';
+import { Typography } from '@material-ui/core';
 import {
   EntityTable,
   useEntity,
@@ -73,11 +74,15 @@ export const HasComponentsCard = ({ variant = 'gridItem' }: Props) => {
       title="Components"
       variant={variant}
       emptyContent={
-        <div>
-          No component is part of this system.{' '}
-          <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#kind-component">
-            Learn how to add components.
-          </Link>
+        <div style={{ textAlign: 'center' }}>
+          <Typography variant="body1">
+            No component is part of this system.
+          </Typography>
+          <Typography variant="body2">
+            <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#kind-component">
+              Learn how to change this.
+            </Link>
+          </Typography>
         </div>
       }
       columns={columns}
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/HasSubcomponentsCard/HasSubcomponentsCard.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/HasSubcomponentsCard/HasSubcomponentsCard.tsx
index 778ec1dec5..41244ba3d4 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/HasSubcomponentsCard/HasSubcomponentsCard.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/HasSubcomponentsCard/HasSubcomponentsCard.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {
   Progress,
   WarningPanel,
 } from '@backstage/core';
+import { Typography } from '@material-ui/core';
 import {
   EntityTable,
   useEntity,
@@ -73,11 +74,15 @@ export const HasSubcomponentsCard = ({ variant = 'gridItem' }: Props) => {
       title="Subcomponents"
       variant={variant}
       emptyContent={
-        <div>
-          No subcomponent is part of this component.{' '}
-          <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#specsubcomponentof-optional">
-            Learn how to add subcomponents.
-          </Link>
+        <div style={{ textAlign: 'center' }}>
+          <Typography variant="body1">
+            No subcomponent is part of this component.
+          </Typography>
+          <Typography variant="body2">
+            <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#specsubcomponentof-optional">
+              Learn how to change this.
+            </Link>
+          </Typography>
         </div>
       }
       columns={columns}
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/HasSystemsCard/HasSystemsCard.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/HasSystemsCard/HasSystemsCard.tsx
index 5b18711d44..ea4de474de 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/HasSystemsCard/HasSystemsCard.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/HasSystemsCard/HasSystemsCard.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {
   Progress,
   WarningPanel,
 } from '@backstage/core';
+import { Typography } from '@material-ui/core';
 import {
   EntityTable,
   useEntity,
@@ -70,11 +71,15 @@ export const HasSystemsCard = ({ variant = 'gridItem' }: Props) => {
       title="Systems"
       variant={variant}
       emptyContent={
-        <div>
-          No system is part of this domain.{' '}
-          <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#kind-system">
-            Learn how to add systems.
-          </Link>
+        <div style={{ textAlign: 'center' }}>
+          <Typography variant="body1">
+            No system is part of this domain.
+          </Typography>
+          <Typography variant="body2">
+            <Link to="https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#kind-system">
+              Learn how to change this.
+            </Link>
+          </Typography>
         </div>
       }
       columns={columns}